Shields
by pendragon94
Summary: AU, Sookie was raised in a different world and uncovers the dark things hidden around her as she discovers the truth.
1. Chapter 1

Dropping the parchment into his paperwork stack, I wonder over to Claude's workbench, having noticed the large map spread flat across it. "What's this?" I ask curiously, seeing small symbols moving across the depiction of the human earth. Small black and red banners with crests and letters adorning them are everywhere, a few of them moving quickly but some are barely moving at all.

"Oh, that is how we track the unclaimed intendeds of all of the fae. It was made long ago, by the one who instilled the magic which allows us to make our claims in the first place." He doesn't notice the furrow in my brow as he speaks, looking over the map just as I am and stops dead when he glances upward. "I'm sorry. I just recalled…" He trails off, not sure what to say and I give him a merciful smile.

"You're alright. It has been a long time." But it still stings to know I'll never meet mine.

I don't say the last part however, knowing that he didn't intend to hurt me. "Do you want me to put it away?" He asks, reaching towards the weights holding the edges closest to him.

"No, can you explain the symbols though? I'm not sure I understand what they all mean." Nodding he reaches behind him onto a side table and hands me a chart covered in small symbols. "The crests you see in the center are the family crest of the fae they belong to, which are all on that page, while the letter below the crest is the letter of the first name of the fae within the family. The color of the banner behind the crest and letter indicates black for male fae, meaning the human is female, and vice versa. These ones moving quickly are likely on planes and the others are asleep or just not moving. If the person is alive then the banner doesn't move from atop their location and if someone were to die then the banner would wash out in white before fading away completely over a few days."

I spend several moments curiously checking the symbols, and wonder if any of my cousins have human intendeds, quickly spying my family crest on the map in a few places with a 'C' displayed below the banner. "Are any of these yours?" He chuckles, nodding as he looks at the same place I am.

"Oddly, Claudine and Claudette have their matches both in Germany. Claudinia has hers in South America and mine is over here, in the southernmost part of Canada. Our symbols all appeared only a few human years ago so they are not old enough yet for any of us to venture off to find them." I'm about to look away from where he's pointing, when a symbol in North America catches my eye. It's the same crest as the rest of those belonging to my family, but the letter below it is an 'S', making my heart skip a beat. "Are you alright? You look pale." He observes, and I look up to see him examining me in concern.

"What is that?" I ask quietly, my hand almost shaking as I point to the banner nearly hidden by another unrelated one nearby.

"I…" He trails off, looking unsure, confusion clear in his voice when he speaks. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know of every banner on this map, but none have ever been in that spot before." He seems almost afraid, as though there's something wrong, and I get an idea as I reach out. The ring on my finger glows brighter, almost too bright to stare at as it illuminates the area in front of us.

"This dispels nearby cloaks, traps and barriers. I made it myself. Somebody tried to hide this."

"But who would hide that from me? I'm the one who needs to know everything about this map to properly care for it." He points out, and I can feel my blood boiling as I come to one conclusion.

"Can you tell me who he is?" I ask, barely containing myself and I snatch the paper from his hand before he takes the chart I'm holding. "Eric." I whisper to myself, popping directly to the castle as Claude stares on in concern, although it's not for me.

I ignore the castle guards apart from to wave them off as they see I am unhappy about something, sauntering through my living quarters in a matter of minutes as I gather my things. Stopping in the library I pick up several packets of information on different identities I can use, stowing them neatly away in a corner of the handbag slung over my shoulder. The larger suitcase in my hands gets set down as I put an envelope on Niall's desk with my resignation, popping to the edge of the castle grounds and walking past the barrier before teleporting to a portal on the southern coast. It's only a second before I'm stepping through, a harsh pulling sensation testing me as I grip my bags tightly so as not to lose them, landing on shaky feet and grabbing a nearby stone object for support. My vision is blurred for a second but clears quickly as I stand straight, looking around at the cemetery I seem to have landed in and silently apologizing to the headstone I'd grabbed onto. I'd picked this portal as the symbol with the 'S' on it had been relatively close to this area, my shields expanding as I start to get a read on the area.

Feeling the thrum of a barrier nearby, I walk at a brisk pace to the two-story plantation home seated in a large clearing of lush grass. A single light is on inside and I ascend the stairs as the door opens itself for me ahead, a kitchen to my left and a living room to my right. More stairs straight ahead lead me to the bedrooms and I place my bags on one of the beds before returning to the kitchen to look around. I find the local maps and info sheets in a locked box in the living room a while later, everything I need to know about the locals at my fingertips. I'd picked up separate identities paperwork packets from the library before I'd left, each one including bank account information and therefore the means to live comfortably for a while. However, I still wonder what I'll do to earn an income as I'd rather not burn through all my coffers of cash.

The shower is warm, inviting, as is the bed when I lay down and pull the blankets up over me. I'm quickly falling asleep as the portal used some of my energy to bring me across planes of existence, leaving me tired.

Sunlight wakes me as it shines in my face the next morning, my things packed away after I am dressed and ready for the day. Glancing over several photographs I'd found in the living room, I teleport to the bathroom of a hotel in Shreveport which is thankfully empty. The humans at the front desk give me a room with no problem, my room key number telling me I'm on the top floor as I get in the elevator. My door on the top floor is one of only five in a short hallway, two on either side and mine at the end as I wanted the suite with a balcony.

I'm able to sense a fair amount of supernatural in the city as I expand my shields slowly, working to become accustomed to the noise of such a large population. There's an oddly high number of vampires, I note, wondering why that is and finding that it lies with the residency of the area Sheriff as I read from the donors several floors below. The only donor who seems to know anything doesn't know much beyond that he is well respected and apparently quite old. It explains the number of undead in the area, as the younger ones tend to gravitate towards the older ones. They know they are vulnerable without holding allegiance to someone above them, and I recall Niall telling me that vampire politics can be quite brutal at times of conflict. Their government structure is more like guidelines as they routinely deviate from what they are supposed to do to meet their own ends.

A warmth in my pocket, coming from the parchment Claude gives me, tells me that I am within a reasonable distance to Eric and I intend to waste no time. There's no telling if he's human, were or something else so I know that I must simply use the paper like a compass as the warmer it gets the closer I am. Changing into more appropriate attire I don't think I will stick out in black jeans and a long sleeved black shirt in the cooler fall air. My first order of business should be to notify the local Sheriff of fae presence, since it will only cause strife later should we meet by chance. But given that it is still daylight, I meander around the streets on either side of the hotel, shopping for trinkets that catch my eye and getting familiar with my surroundings until the sun starts to dip below the horizon.

My hotel is vampire friendly and I teleport straight back to my room to put away my bags, grabbing a bite to eat from the packaged foods in the small kitchen area and making sure I'm still presentable as I go down in the elevator. I sense a small group of vampires who are in the lounge bar and I steady my shoulders, approaching as they notice me coming in and several turn around as I get closer. Even with my scent hidden I can see their interest clear on their faces, making sure that I give nothing away as I stare them down.

"Where would I find the local Sheriff?" I ask straightforward, seeming to surprise them but the tallest one stands while they all stay silent.

"Who wants to know?"

"He will wish to know that my kind are in the area." I supply instead, snapping my fingers to make a bottle of TruBlood appear on their table out of nowhere. They all glance towards it and I'm certain I hear several sets of fangs appear in their mouths. The one who spoke to me is rigid, seeming unsure of what he should do and I smile warmly. "I am coming in peace, nothing to do with harming vampires or anyone else, but I know he would wish to be aware of my presence."

My assurance seems to loosen his lips although I'm certain he's nearly growling as he speaks. "The Fangtasia bar downtown is his. His child is there if not him, she's the second in command."

"Thank you." Snapping my finger again, a gold nugget appears in the air in front of his face and he snatches it the instant it appears. "You can have that in exchange for the information."

A stiff nod answers me before I back away and turn at the last moment to leave out of the lounge room. The street is crowded as this is the weekend, the humans enjoying their time off from their jobs. Hopping around the human minds I follow them to the bar I was told about, its name unique and easy to pick up from the sea of thoughts. Wrapped all the way around the single-story building is a line of people, many of them dressed provocatively in black and red as they think it will entice the vampires. Balding and unhappy looking, the vampire stationed at the door is checking the ID's of the humans to select the ones allowed inside. "I would speak with the Sheriff, or his second in command, whoever is available." He seems unsure but doesn't protest, slipping inside for a second before returning and ushering me in with a wave.

"You asked for me?" A blond woman asks as soon as I enter, the sharp line of her eyebrows seeming to be in line with her attitude as she attempts to intimidate me with a glare.

"Are you the Sheriff?" I question, holding tightly to the card in my hands as I pull it from my wallet.

"He is out, I am his child. What may I assist you with?" She spits the words but seems to the have the foresight to know that without my identity, she shouldn't disrespect me. Handing her my card, she examines the family crest of the sky fae adorning one side before flipping it over and seeing my hotel and room number written.

"I will be in the area, for likely a few weeks at least, on a personal holiday. There should be no reason for him to be concerned of my presence, but if he wishes to speak then that is where I am staying."

"And what are you?" She asks, and I realize she doesn't recognize the fae symbol as I wonder what her age is.

"He should know, just give him the card." I inform her, not wanting to say it out loud in a bar almost entirely full of vampires. My scent shield hides my essence, but the instinctual draw that all vampires have to fairies is still present and I didn't miss the eyes of many on me the second I entered. There's no doubt that a Sheriff would have been informed of fae though as having supernatural knowledge is part of taking their position and necessary to enforce the edicts of their kings and queens. Turning around, I leave before she can say anymore and I can see through the human minds that she is glaring at my back as I leave but she doesn't act.

The end of the night comes too quickly as I find a quiet corner to pop back to my hotel suite, tired and displeased with the parchment I've been following around all night. I'm wondering if it is working correctly, the whole time seeming to be a wild goose chase as it had cooled and warmed seemingly at random at different times of the night. It would be impossible for a person to move fast enough to make it react in such a way and I wonder if I should return to Claude, but my thoughts are interrupted as I notice the message slipped beneath my door. Apparently, I have a message at the front desk and I call down, listening to the yawns of the human girl who just arrived for her morning shift, her hands fumbling as she looks through the messages.

"You are requested to appear at the hotel bar, tonight at nine, to meet with the Sheriff of area five." She reads off, asking if there's anything else I need and I ask for a wakeup call before thanking her and hanging up. I sleep soundly through the day, my phone ringing at six for the wakeup call and I thank the current front desk attendant. A long hot shower is appreciated as I relax, my hair drying beneath the attention of my towel when a knock on the hotel room door has me scrambling into a robe. Pulling it open, I thank the woman in her uniform as I pull the cart inside and nibble at the breakfast array they prepared. They'd sounded surprised when I put in my ticket for room service, asking only that the chef surprise me with anything that excluded lemon, no matter the cost. I conclude that he's outdone himself as I sample the multitude of dishes beneath the covers before I decidedly finish off a mouthwatering shrimp and noodles dish.

Putting the cart in the hallway, I make sure that I put a hotel stationary page on top onto which I've written my thanks before finishing getting ready in the bathroom. Pulling on a similar outfit to the one from the night before, I grab a dark blue shirt this time and brush my hair out one last time before grabbing my handbag to head for the door. It locks securely behind me, the food cart already gone as I go to elevator and descend to the lobby at 8:45.

There's a moment of uncertainty as I walk into the bar, the parchment with Eric's name written on it burning hotly in my pocket and I want to leave. But I know that I need to first appease the Sheriff before I can go about my night. A table near the bar is open and I take it with a clear view of the door, ordering a gin and tonic and waiting as I sip on it. A precisely 8:58 I see the blond child of the Sheriff enter, glancing around until she sees me and approaches immediately to sit down across from me. "My maker will be here in a second." She assures, ordering herself a drink as the waiter stops by a moment later and I look around as the heat in my pocket feels almost too hot.

My heart feels like it stops for a second when a tall blond man comes into the bar, his ice blue eyes meeting mine a second later. Stay away. I want to scream at him, knowing without a doubt that this must be him, and I want him nowhere near the vampires I am meeting with. If there's anything you can say about the fae for certain is that we are possessive, and I find this quite true as I wish to spirit him away from any potential danger. Each step closer that he takes seems to ease a tension I didn't realize was present in my chest until now, and I freeze when he sits fluidly next to the blond vampire across from me.

"Greetings." I'm speechless at the sound of his voice, my mind racing as I try to reconcile this with myself.


	2. Chapter 2

This is my mate.

It's clear, every sense and nerve telling me the same thing, but at the same time I rebel at the idea as I look over this vampire. _A vampire._ Thinking over fae history, I know this would be the first time a fae had ever been matched to one of our oldest foes and for a split second I wonder if this is a cruel joke before I dash that away. No, this is no joke. Even knowing what this creature is capable of, and how many lives he's likely to have taken in his existence, I still find myself wanting to crawl into his lap. My light feels almost solid in my chest, as though it's trying to unleash itself and claim our mate before I've even spoken a word. I realize, as I think it, that I haven't said anything and they've been staring at me for several moments as I've recovered from what felt like a punch to the gut.

"Forgive me." I say quietly, holding out my hand after a second. "I was figuring something out." He arches an eyebrow, glancing down at my hand uncertainly but taking it none the less even as I realize that vampires usually do not shake hands. His mind is a void, just as any other vampire would be, but there seems to be a depth there that I hadn't noticed with any vampire before. It's as though I could reach into the darkness there and grasp onto something, whereas with other vampires I don't think I could do so. With a single shake, he releases my hand and the contact is broken, his void now just the same as the others around us. After another second of contemplation I put my hand to the table, palm flat as my light flashes out into the wood. "I've put a small barrier around us, so that we may speak freely. Words will sound like gibberish to anyone eavesdropping."

"That is a most useful skill, but I would expect nothing less from the fae. I am the Sheriff of area five and this is my second in command, my child. What is it you wish to accomplish within my area?" He's completely formal and I wonder what he will act like in private.

 _I've already accomplished what I came here for._ "I came tonight to inform you of my presence, so as not to cause any future doubts about my being here." I answer instead.

"It is very much appreciated that I did not have to hunt you down. I had already received a call about someone asking for me matching your description just before you went to my bar. So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" It seems that he's now trying to put on some charm and I smile slightly.

"I am Sookie of the sky fae, and you are?" I already know, I can feel it, but I must know for certain as I ask him to confirm his identity.

"I am Eric Northman and this is my child, Pamela Swynford De Beaufort." My heart clenches again, hearing him say his name for the first time and I silently test it on my tongue, liking it more than I am comfortable with immediately.

"It is good to meet you." I am honest as I say it, but I am also hesitant as I am unsure of what I want to do next. There's something about this vampire that, despite what he is, has me interested in him. Of course, I don't want to divulge everything right away, and I'm prepared for his next question.

"So once again, what is it you wish to achieve in my area during your stay?"

"Well I was thinking about living here and was wanting to get a feel for the area as well as look at real estate for sale." Blinking a few times slowly, he seems to be unprepared for this.

Silence stretches for several minutes as I sip my drink and glance around, dipping in and out of human minds idly as I pick up tidbits of information everywhere. When he finally speaks, my attention snaps back to his face. "Why would the fae wish to establish a base of operations in Louisiana?"

Laughing, I put my hand over my mouth as I'm unable to help myself and lean back in my chair in amusement as I go quiet. "I'm sorry, but I think you misunderstood. I don't want to make a 'base', as you put it, I'm looking for a place to live. As nice as the fae realm is, I am due for some change in scenery and have decided to walk away from my positions in the fairy world."

Arching an eyebrow, he leans forward with interest. "Are you an outcast, or were you banished for some reason?"

"Oh no, there's no reason for you to worry about anything like that. I'm just tired of listening to my grandfather. So, I left." He blinks in what I think is surprise, staring me down as I smile, still laughing internally at his assumptions.

"Forgive my disbelief, but the last I knew of fairy hierarchy, one such as yourself is not allowed to just walk away. You are under the rule of the high king, are you not?"

"Our entire culture has changed in the last few hundred years. Our world went through a war and things are much different than they used to be, there is no longer an iron ruler that all fae fear. More in the next few hundred years may enter this world to do nothing but live peacefully just as I wish to do." My smile twitches downward for a second as I glance to the right, disdain prevalent as I hear the thoughts of a man in the corner. "For instance, I harbor no ill will towards vampires, hence why I respected your position and came to you within a day of arriving in town. Therefore, I will inform you that the man in the far corner with the dark red coat has his car trunk full of draining equipment. Glamour him and he will likely take you to the three vampires that he is holding captive on the outskirts of town in his basement."

Eric is rigid, but unmoving as his child disappears from the table, having remained silent up until now and I see her approaching the drainer. "She will handle that. Would you care to explain you were aware of such things about a random person?"

"I am fae. What else do you wish to know?"

"Why are you here?" His tone sounds forceful and I feel as though he's trying to glamour me but I brush it off.

"Do you know any good realtors?" Grinning broadly at him, he snorts and leans back, lessening the intense stare he had previously been sporting.

"Perhaps. Come back to my bar tomorrow just after sundown and we'll see who I have available to assist you. You are welcome anytime otherwise." Nodding, I stand and glance down.

"I'll hold you to that and I'm sure the gin and tonic won't break the bank for you." Teleporting away, I wish I could see the reaction on his face but I don't go back, instead making my way to a local park. Walking around idly, I fall into contemplation as I try to reason out what I'm going to do.

Vampires and fae have been enemies for as long as they've existed, fae essence a deadly attractant for vampires that sends them into a frenzy the likes of which are hard to stop. It took countless generations to discover how to mask our scent, and only then were we able to start conversing with vampires but at that point the damage was done and almost all fae hold resentment. At the time, everyone knew someone that a vampire had killed so it was only natural that nobody cared about negotiations. However, after the war between the species nearly wiped out all fairies, the few remaining fae could see that trying to annihilate the vampires was a ridiculous goal and so they broke into another dimension to escape. I'd been able to see since I was a child that there was fault on both sides to an extent, but I was still raised to believe that vampires were an enemy.

It's hard to imagine that he would ever be anyone I would want, but I know as well that the magic that resides in the bonding has never made a bad match in the centuries since its discovery.

The next night he isn't there, but one of the vampires points me to a short and slightly balding man at the bar who I find is a realtor. We spend the next week looking at properties as I dig through his mind, meeting him every night at the bar and learning all I can about Eric from him as well as the rest of the humans in the establishment. It's strange, having such different perspectives from the different people and I know one thing for sure. The Viking has many faces.

A couple of nights later I am sitting at the bar and ordering the special of the night, a fruity cocktail which I request without lemon as I wonder where Eric is at. His absence makes me unsure but I remain, moving to a booth and listening to anything of interest I hear in the minds of the humans around me. His chair remains empty for a couple of hours, no appearance being made until I'm about to leave and suddenly he's sitting across from me in the booth.

"Good evening." It's strange how his voice cuts through the music thrumming in the air, perfectly clear despite the interference but oddly quiet.

"Yes, I thought so. A drink sounded nice, and you did invite me in." My joke doesn't get a reaction and I smile as I idly wonder what could make him break character.

"Did Bryce take care of helping you find properties?" I smile at his clinical tone.

"He was very helpful, thank you for the reference. I've got a list of a few different places I'm interested in and I'm still trying to narrow it down."

"So, you will be moving into the area for certain?" His voice is flat still, leaving me wondering at what could be formulating in his mind as I'm sure he doesn't believe my reasoning for being here.

"Most likely. It's not too populated to be noisy and I will be able to live outside of the city without being too far to be an unreasonable drive." There's nothing from him for a second and I decide to get his attention, looking towards the bar pointedly. "Those two drove a long way, the man and the woman who don't quite fit in." The woman in question looks towards me, meeting my eye and sneering as she thinks that I am beneath her. "You'd be most interested in having them glamoured, just ask them about their favorite activity. They're rather weak minded so it wouldn't take much more than a few words from you to make them sing like the helpless little birds they are."

He disappears before I can say any more, his void flashing to the bar and speaking to the bartender who I can feel glamouring the humans as Eric returns to the seat in the booth.

"Your information is valuable, and however you acquire it is likely to be even more so. I would be careful who you associate with, apart from myself." His warning seems to be genuine, no malice detectable as though it were a threat.

"Oh, you're the only one I've really talked to since I moved here." I say without thought and stare at him as it sinks in, a defiant blush creeping up my cheeks.

"What about Bryce?" He inquires and I smirk.

"That's business."

"Then what is this?" I wonder at how he's turned things in his favor for a second before coming up with a response.

"This is us getting to know each other better."

"Yes, and why is that?" My mouth snaps shut as I'm not sure what to say before slowly smiling.

"Because I am likely the safest fairy you could ever be around as I have no ill will towards any vampires. I am not old enough to have come from those hateful generations. Why wouldn't you want to work with the fae to your advantage?" The straw that finds my mouth sucks more of the cocktail up before pulling air and I glance down at it with disdain.

"What advantage would I get from working with the fae?"

"Well, considering I am likely the first to be so open with a vampire, you would likely have business offers from many who hope to get near me. What a better chance at nabbing themselves a fae than trying to get close to the guy that works with one? If you're smart, you could profit all the while we both stay safe." His eyes narrow minutely, one of the most prevalent reactions on this night so far.

"You would put yourself in danger to allow me to make a profit?" I don't speak, smiling and nodding instead. "No, you won't. I won't profit at the detriment of someone I harbor nothing against."

Blinking, I realize that I seem to get his attention with every move as I open my mouth and he watches intently. "It is not a problem. I would be much harder for someone to take down than you seem to believe."

"Is that so?" He seems to want to say more but goes rigid as something seems to affect him. "You need to stay right here, and do not bring attention to yourself."

He's gone a second later and I weigh my options before deciding to go along with what he asked, watching as he perches on the edge of his throne. Less than thirty seconds later a group of voids approach the bar, coming inside and I see that there is a single human among them, walking towards the back of the group as I pick apart their thoughts. Apparently, the woman with red hair at the front is Sophie Anne, the current ruler of the state and I understand why Eric told me to remain unseen as I see that she likes to collect rare humans. I ignore the fact that my drink is empty, pretending to take another sip before I am sitting it back down. There's a waiter who appears a moment later, distracting me as she asks what my order was before taking my glass away to the bar.

"Eric. What is interesting with you this evening?" She asks, the words clear to the humans near her and I already don't like her or her tone.

"Nothing of notability, your majesty. Is there anything I may do to be of service to you?" During Eric's interactions with me he always seems to have a near perfect lockdown on any emotion but I can almost hear the malice in the depths of his voice.

"No, I am simply going area to area to greet my Sheriffs and take a quick look over my kingdom. Should there be anything you wish to discuss with me, now would be the time." There's obvious tension on her face as she seems to be forcing herself to be cordial while for Eric it seems to be an ingrained reflex. Wondering how old the Queen is, I dig around for a minute in the mind of the human accompanying her and end up finding the knowledge in one of the oldest memories from when she was first employed.

I'm surprised that this vampire is in such a position as although I'm not sure of Eric's age, I know that he must be much older than her. It's in the atmosphere around him, the feeling of strength of age that only vampires of significant seniority can attain. But he answers to, from what I can see from the human's memories, a petty and childish queen who spends much too much of her revenues. She also seems to be quite treacherous as the human who follows her around has seen her planning against many who she otherwise considers as allies. There must be something in it for him to gain and I file that pondering away for later.

"There is nothing." His monotone is still laced with a negativity that I can't deny.

"Very well then." She turns on her heel, walking through the six vampires following her as they regroup behind her along with the human and they all go to a nearby booth. I'm focusing on the human when I notice that one of the vampires is in fact something else, but still consists of a void. She's tall with long auburn hair, matched to dress the other vampires in dark clothes and moves just like them as though she were one. Her void however has a slight coloration to it, not just a blackness, making me want a closer look but also making me cautious as I'm not sure what she is.

The waitress is next to me again, sitting a glass down in front of me and I thank her before handing her a bill to cover it along with a nice tip. Sauntering off, she seems to be enthusiastic about her work, making me wonder more about her but I focus instead on keeping a close eye on Sophie Anne.

When I look towards Eric a moment later, I grab for my drink at the same time, taking a quick sip as my eyes sweep over the crowd towards the stage. My throat burns instantly, my hand barely able to set the glass down without breaking it as I realize my mistake and lockdown my throat as I refuse to call out in pain. Tears immediately burn down my face, something that Eric seems to notice before he's standing next to me, pulling me up and away from the booth. Drawing on experience, I force myself to move without giving anything away, my light burning hot within me as it fights off the lemon that was in my drink. I hadn't drunk much, but it was still pure poison.

He glances back over his shoulder for a second but I cannot tell anything from it and he's looking ahead again a second later, pulling me through a door right behind the bar. Stumbling down a few stairs to a landing, I bend over to clutch my stomach as I fall against the wall. "What is happening?" His tone is demanding but there seems to be something else I cannot decipher.

"There was lemon… in my drink." I gasp out, a cry leaving my lips unwittingly as I'm wracked with a wave of pain from head to toe.

"What can I do?" I'm unable to take the time to analyze the meaning behind his question before I give him a pitiful smile, not looking forward to the next hours.

"You've done enough already." Gathering my strength, I manage a teleport as he looks on with an unreadable expression, ending up on the floor of my bathroom in the hotel room.


	3. Chapter 3

Struggling with my clothes, I manage to strip after a few moments of effort, no longer able to fight it off as I turn on the hot water and lay on the shower floor. Reaching into my light I let it swallow me, filling me up and absorbing the energy from the heat the same as I would from the rays of the sun. I'm not sure how long I lay there, but I notice that the sun is rising when I look out the window as I crawl into bed many hours later. I'm sore all over, my light weak but victorious as I've burned out all of the acid. The blankets are a welcome comfort, especially after I found a few extra ones in the linen closet in the bathroom and added them in layers to my bed.

When I wake, I am still tired and I do not wish to rise but do so as my bladder calls to me.

I'm trying to get back into bed when I hear a knock on the door, making my way slowly to look through the peep hole, an unexpected visitor on the other side. Opening the door, I don't remark on it but move to let the short troll of a woman inside. "Hello, get comfortable on the couch and let me have a look at you."

Nodding tiredly, I do as she says and chuckle. "You are just as charming as always, Doctor Ludwig."

"Yes, it's part of my spectacular bed side manner. Move over more." She seems satisfied when I shift my position and starts prodding for a reaction in different areas of my abdomen.

"How did you know?" I ask before she has me open my mouth and shines a light down my throat.

"The local Sheriff called, he seemed quite insistent that I assure you were still among the living." Unsure of what to say, I let her continue her exam before finally speaking.

"Do you know why I am here?" She pauses to look me in the eye before shaking her head.

"Nothing for sure, but I have an idea." It takes a moment for her to answer but as she does, I notice that she seems contemplative. "You seem as though you will be alright. Rest another day but I will have the hotel send up food that I want you to eat before going back to sleep." She gathers up her bag, her stethoscope going away after she checks my heart and lungs. "I will tell you this, though." Looking at her expectantly, she turns and reaches to hold the doorknob before opening it. "The longer you go unclaimed in this world, the more danger you are in."

I relax on the couch as she's gone in a second, the door closing and locking from her side as she does something with her magic to secure it for me. I'm dozing off when another knock rouses me and I stand, thanking the hotel employee as I pull the cart of food inside. There's a good spread, seemingly something from every food type imaginable and I take my time picking over the plates until I'm full, the carts own weight keeping it from rolling around after I put it in the hallway. The bed lulls me to sleep in seconds after I get settled.

"This is getting to be a problem." I mutter to myself, rising from the bed as I hear a knock on my door and check the clock to see that it is just after sunset. Not recognizing the vampire on the other side of the door, I don't open it all the way, charging one of my hands with light which I hide behind the door. "Yes?" I ask, and he holds out a box as I recognize him after a second as one of the vampires in the bar.

"The Sheriff sent this for you." He seems to be trying to stay cool and collected, and I wonder if he's trying to impress Eric by doing small tasks for him.

Opening the door the rest of the way, I let my light sink back into dormancy as I reach to take the package. "Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to bring this to me."

He seems surprised but nods, bowing slightly before he disappears at vampire speed to get into the elevator.

The box has a small card taped on top and the only thing on it is a single, elegant letter 'E'. Opening it, I'm unsure upon seeing a fuzzy dark green material, but pull it out and fall in love with the floor length robe as it feels almost like silk against my skin. It's very comfortable, fitting me perfectly and I end up falling back to sleep with it on in the bed. I don't sleep for long though, rising just a short time later to order more room service and enjoying the pasta and salad meal that is brought to me as part of the dinner special. Taking another shower afterward, I don my robe once more and wonder how lucky he is to have guessed my favorite color.

Going to the hotel phone, I ask the operator to connect me to the popular vampire bar. The bartender informs me that he is not in and I leave a message telling him that I enjoy his perfect gift before going to find the remote for the TV. I'd never indulged in it much, but I enjoy watching several documentaries back to back until I stand and find myself going back to bed. I sleep through until the next morning this time, my body not nearly as sore as it was the night before and I find that I feel almost back to normal.

I spend some time in the stores lining the strip mall next to the hotel, wondering if there's anything that Eric would like to be gifted but unable to come up with something as midday approaches. An antiques store on the corner catches my eye as I'm walking back to the hotel and I end up inside, but don't see anything that I want as I browse. I'm about to walk out when a display case near the back catches my eye and I wonder to it, examining the small vases and trinkets inside before getting an idea and calling the attendant over to pull out a trinket for me to look at. It's heavy in my palm, a perfect circle of just over an inch and it has lots of swirls carved into a vines and leaves pattern which spans across both sides. It reminds me of the golden seal tokens that Niall gives to all of the guards, thicker in the center than at the edges, the rim of it seamless like it's a fat coin and I have an idea as I decide to buy the token.

Sitting on the couch in my hotel room, I hold the metal between my hands and concentrate on my intent as a blinding light fills the room. It gets almost too hot to hold but I don't drop it, instead making sure that it is fully imbued with my magic before sitting it into the padded box I'd found at a stationary store. Carefully writing a note, I attach it to the top of the box and send it off via a courier in a slightly larger plain brown box that I've taped shut. A meal arrives from the room service a short time later and I get dressed, preparing to go out as I've finally decided on the place I want to purchase.

The office that Bryce works out of is open and he's quite surprised to see me with a check in hand, documents being drawn up over the next couple of hours as I prepare to sign. Going over everything with me, he makes sure to have me sign and initial in all the vital places before making several copies and handing me the keys. "Congratulations! I hope you will contact me if you have any questions." I shake his hand formally, preferring not to get too close as I hear his thoughts and hopes of dating me, among other things.

"Yes, and I'll let Eric know how helpful you've been." His mood dampens slightly as he is in fact jealous of the vampire and his charms, but I smile naively as he shows me out while giving me one more of his business cards. "Have a good night."

"You as well." He says cheerily, handing me the folder with all the legal documents and I walk off to a nearby alley to pop back to the hotel.

Taking a couple of extra days to fully heal, I shop around to furnish my house with as much as I can find to match my tastes. Time is also spent wondering about Eric, and what he's doing at any given moment although during the day I'm certain I already know the answer.

Walking out of the way of the delivery men, I instruct them on where to place different pieces. My bedroom is the last thing to receive a bed, two dressers, nightstands and a small desk. It's been crafted from a rich mahogany wood that has been sanded soft to the touch, the mattress feeling exactly right as I'd picked it out myself instead of accepting the one that came with the set. Unrolling a large rug myself, I position it exactly where I want it, the royal dark blue wave patterns complementing the sand colored walls and wooden floors.

I'd chosen this place partially because of the underground living quarters, but mainly because of its construction being primarily of wood. It feels homey, reminding me of when I would sometimes stay in the tree homes of the forest fae. They had grown a small place just for me at one point and it was a similar color to the wood of the furniture, pleasant memories distracting me as I take clothes from my suitcase to put away. The closet and drawers still feel quite empty when I'm done but I know that it will change with time, not minding the absence of things for now.

I watch him for a few minutes through the minds of humans ten days after coming into town as he sits on the stage. The bartender hands me my drink and I turn to face him myself for the first time, his hand immediately in the air as he beckons me forward. He seems to have a different air about him, an almost angry expression on his face as I approach through the churning crowd and almost reconsider as I step up fluidly to take the seat next to him. "Is there a problem?" I ask, wondering what he has on his mind and if my gift somehow offended him.

"Not that I am aware of, is there?" He counters, his voice flat as he speaks barely audibly.

"You look unhappy to see me here. Should I go?" I'm prepared to leave immediately and get something for dinner since I've neglected to eat after making breakfast in my new kitchen.

Standing right next to me, I see the height difference plainly as I stand as well and he motions for me to follow him. Slamming my shields into place, I block the torrent of vulgarities from the minds of the club goers as they assume I am to be his meal for the night. I follow him down a hallway past the bar and into the door at the end to find myself in an office as he flashes behind the desk. "This is a vampire bar, but it is more of a spectacle for the humans than anything else."

"Oh, I see, so you cock an attitude and put on a little show for them every now and then to make them think they should fear you?"

Cocking an eyebrow, he folds his hands together on the desk in front of him. "The humans should fear us."

"Should I?" I'm biting my own tongue as soon as I say it.

"That depends I suppose. Do you intend to harm my kind while you are here?" He deadpans, no emotion showing whatsoever.

"No." I'm not prepared, and I know Niall would scold me for letting my guard down but I feel as though I can't help it, my own light not even classifying him as a threat. Faster than I can see, he is before me with his hand around my throat lightly while his other large hand is holding both of my wrists captive in his palm.

There's a pregnant second where I'm not sure what he wants, not reacting as I'm sure if he were going to kill me he would have already done so and the seconds drag out longer as I'm frozen in place. "You won't defend yourself?" He questions, seeming to be unsettled by the fact.

"You have no reason to hurt me. I've interacted with you relatively little in the past ten days since I got here and I've done nothing to provoke violence." Not that I could retaliate anyway. I don't say the second part, keeping it to myself. "Even now you're just restraining me."

"Why are you in my area? No fae would come here for such peaceful interactions, even gifting me things, unless they had ulterior motives and fae always hide the truth."

It's difficult, deciding what to do, and I finally sigh in defeat as I look down. "In my pocket." I barely feel his hand leave my throat before he's holding up the paper in his hand.

"This is warm and it has my name written on it, why?" He demands, flipping it over as though the secrets would be written on the back.

"As a fairy, I have living within me my spark, which is my soul and life force. Our spark has many abilities, one of which is conveying to us the mate who would be our perfect other half and these are kept track of by a guardian. He keeps watch over an enchanted map which displays the locations and names of all the fae's intendeds in the human realm. Usually our mates are humans, sometimes weres, but I am the first to my knowledge to have ever been given the name of a vampire. I've been carrying it around." His eyes don't break from my face as he is unmoving, one of his hands still holding both of mine while his other hand has the parchment scrap.

"What sort of imbecile do you take me for?" My eyes widen slightly at his words, realizing where he is going with this as he tightens his grip on my hands. "As though I would ever allow you to get close enough to harm me in my day rest."

"I would never hurt you, I can't." I'm appalled that he thinks I would hurt him and speak quickly, trying to reassure him.

"Your kind are tricksters and I have no interest in your ruse." Anger streaks through me at his attitude, my hands glowing brightly as my light charges for a second before unleashing into him. He jumps back, throwing me away from him and I hit the wall but don't move from the floor as he stares at his hand. I'm sore all over, my body protesting as I try to regain myself. "What did you do?" He snarls, likely only feeling a slight tingle.

"Nothing."

He's in my face a second later, his fangs bared as he attempts to intimidate me. "What do you mean, nothing?"

"Our light is our most basic defense. Were you any other, that would have fried your entire arm and likely a few other internal organs as it travelled through you. However, my spark recognizes you as my mate and so it just passes through you harmlessly." Trying to gain my breath, I do my best to not gasp in discomfort as I move minutely.

He's silent, staring down at me as I wait to see what he is going to do. "You will take my blood." His tone leaves no room for argument but he seems to be waiting to see if I will and appears almost surprised when I just nod. His wrist is being bitten into a second later, surprising me but I don't protest when he lets several droplets fall between my lips. The cool liquid is thick and sweet with a metallic undertone, sliding easily down my throat before his hand disappears a moment later. "Now repeat everything."

I understand that he's reading my emotions through the tie we just formed and I try not to hide anything, laying myself bare. My shields which usually hide me allow him on the inside as no other has ever been allowed while still blocking the humans in the bar. Unwavering, I repeat everything I've already said and watch as he seems to be weighing everything in his mind. "If you would like some time to think it over, I wouldn't mind going home to rest."

"Do not fucking disappear again." He growls out, pacing back towards his desk as I move to sit up against the wall.

"Then what would you like me to do instead?" My demand seems to provoke him.

"Go back and never come here in the first place." Unable to stop it, a sting of hurt rises at his words and I look away, not responding. I know he hasn't seemed exactly thrilled to have me around but I'd found myself liking him nonetheless, the small instances of his caring hinting at something more.

"If you truly do not wish to know me anymore, then I will go." I whisper a minute later, still not looking up as I'm not sure if I want to. There's no response and I sigh as I try not to let a tear slip free.

My shields are barely intact, the human's thoughts distracting me but I'd been working to ignore them at least until I hear the word 'fae' from a snarly mind. Popping to stand in the basement, I stare at the man bound against the wall and nearly approach when I sense the iron all around me. It's everywhere on this side of the room, something I hadn't sensed here before and I'm suddenly weary of staying, jumping slightly when the door to upstairs clangs open.

Eric appears at the base of the stairs, stalking forward with a dark expression on his face and I take a step back only to find my back to the wall. Iron shackles hanging freely on either side, a sense of betrayal burns hotly in the pit of my stomach and my power surges as I teleport, landing on my living room floor. I'm not sure what to do, questioning Eric's motives as I wonder why he has so much iron in the dungeon of his bar. The werewolf that he had chained up still presents a question for me as well, since I couldn't get much from him before I left. Apparently, he was tasked with hunting down a fae but I don't know who by or if they specifically meant me.

I'm still hungry, idly going through the motions to get something to eat in the kitchen. The pickings are slim as I haven't had the chance to go grocery shopping but there's some fruit from a basket I'd been sent by Bryce, and it's still fresh as I take a bite of an apple. Deciding that I need to get it out of the way, I pop to an alley near a grocery store far from the bar and head inside quickly. It's surprisingly busy for being so late and I grab several reusable bags to use as I walk around. I'm still sore, limping partially after my knee struck the wall of Eric's office but manage to spend a decent amount of time wandering around to find everything I want. The bags are heavy and I forego going all the way outside, instead heading into the restroom and making sure it's empty before teleporting to the inside of my kitchen. It doesn't take long to put everything away, and I make a second trip only needing one of the bags as I realize I don't have any pots or pans.

By the time I get to bed many hours later I'm still unsure of what I want to do about Eric, going to sleep with a lot of different possibilities occurring to me. When I wake though, I find that my mind has cleared and I know exactly what I want to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Getting out of the shower, I take care to pick out comfortable clothes before drying and brushing out my hair. The sound of thunder rings outside and I wonder if it will rain, tying my shoes as I try to feel the weather in the air.

Popping towards the bar, I walk out of an alley several streets away, my step faltering though when I look through the minds of the humans. Eric is in his office with another vampire, a glamoured human in the corner of the room as well and I watch through her eyes. The other vampire looks as though he was very young when he was turned and I wonder who he is, Eric seeming to defer to him.

"She felt betrayed when she found all of the iron in the basement."

"I have no doubt, fae are burned and weakened by iron. I'm surprised she even stuck around after your bartender poisoned her with lemon." His face betrays nothing, but the younger one seems to have pity on Eric. "From what you've told me, it seems you have been rather harsh on the girl."

"What do you mean? I have no idea of her true intentions." He spits back, not liking being called out.

"She told you her true intentions. The fact that you are standing here after she struck you with her light is proof enough. Child, I was but a few hundred years old when the fae and vampires were still fighting, but their light was the greatest danger of attacking them. It has the same effect on us as sunlight, but amplified into a concentrated form." Examining the scene closer, I'm surprised to see the trinket I had gifted him sitting on his desk corner before the other vampire picks it up, holding it out to Eric. "What was the exact wording of the note?"

"May this bring you luck and prosperity." Eric says, repeating what I'd written on his note.

"So then, why are you surprised that all of your stock interests have suddenly become more lucrative over the past few days?" I hadn't considered that it would have such a strong effect, but I don't regret it, knowing that he will likely keep it close. Eric seems to be rigid suddenly, edging towards his door as he glances back towards the other vampire.

"She is nearby." I'm surprised he would know that, but realize I shouldn't be as I remember that I've had his blood and he can now track me to an extent.

"Oh, so she didn't decide to flee for her life after all. Perhaps you should start with an apology for your behavior, and work your way from there?" Breaking from the human's mind with a snort, I continue to get closer to the bar and wonder if the younger appearing vampire is his maker.

He leaves the office, Eric's void allowing me to track him out the front door of the bar and I wonder if he doesn't wish for me to come in. Leaning patiently against a wall, I wait as he gets closer until he comes around the corner of the alley I'm in and stops upon seeing me before walking the yards to come face to face with me.

"First, I want to know what the deal with that werewolf is." I demand, not allowing him to speak first and I'm pleasantly surprised when he nods.

"That wolf was caught asking around about fairies at the local werewolf haunts and I received a phone call as it was strange as well as because he is from another area. I've ascertained that he is from Mississippi due to his brands, but I've yet to find out who sent him or why. He seems to be bound by the glamour of another vampire and is currently passed out, healing from the attention Pam was giving him earlier."

"Alright then, second, why did you have all of that iron?"

"That was Pamela's doing and I've already ordered it removed. She is a rather difficult child when she wants to be a bitch." I chuckle, something he doesn't seem to expect as I had wondered if perhaps it was not he himself who put the iron in place.

"Then lastly, would you take my hand?" I'd debated over this for a while, but had concluded that it was the only way I could be sure, holding out my arm.

He seems uncertain but does so, freezing when my power flows into him. A link forms, sparking to life between us like a thread and I fuel it as it grows to a strong tether. I'm staggered on my feet for a few seconds, wavering as I'm unprepared to deal with the onslaught of emotions but staying steady as he still grips my hand.

"What did you do?" He presses, pulling me into his side to steady me when I nearly fall.

"I bonded to you through my spark, so that I may feel your emotions just as you feel mine. In a human, it would mean you would receive your part of the bond instantly, and we would feel each other, however with a vampire I'm assuming it's different since you have your own bonding abilities. If we find that we are incompatible for each other then I will return home and use a spell to sever the fledgling bond before it grows." I ramble for a moment, over explaining when it feels like he touches the bond and I shiver in discomfort, unused to having anyone else in my head.

"Why?" His voice is flat and I look up at black eyes, not sure what is wrong with him as I see that his fangs are down.

"Because despite everything, I feel that you didn't mean to hurt me and I want to get to know you better." I say it as though it's obvious and I'm surprised when his nose is suddenly at my throat, his face hidden as he leans into me.

"Is this what you smell like when you don't hide it?" Freezing at his words, I realize what's happening with him as I detect that my shield is fully down for him, my hands coming carefully around his sides as he presses his palms to the stone wall behind me.

"Eric… I am unaware of your age." I'm careful not to speak above a whisper, his hearing sure to pick it up without problem.

"One thousand, four hundred and ninety-eight." There's an underlying rumble to his voice that hints to a silent growl in his chest, my emotions strangely calmed as I feel it in the air around me.

"Then you are in control?" I ask tentatively, prepared to breathe a sigh of relief as I had worried slightly. A younger vampire would be rendered unable to respond in any other way than to attack and drink if they scented me so closely.

"Yes, for now." Feeling a smile against my throat, I wonder if I should have let him know my full scent earlier as it seems to calm him down.

"Do you believe me now, that I don't want to hurt you?" Asking slowly, he pauses for a long second before there's a sense of agreement from him. It's pushed through the bond as he kisses my pulse lightly and I find myself elated at his acceptance, my emotions clear to him just before he leans to press his lips to mine.

I tense as I feel another void approaching when his growl rings loudly through the air, the silent vibration coming to life and his weight pressing closer as he attempts to shield me from whoever is coming. "Get away from her." It's the younger vampire from before and I look at Eric in surprise as he moves away from me, stepping backwards at the stern command.

"No!" Unable to help myself, I move back towards him even as he backs away, holding myself to his side as his arms fall around me again and he stops moving. "You were being so nice." Muttering against his shirt, his arms tense and everything is silent as I'm sure I could hear a pin drop.

"Is that so?" The younger looking vampire sounds as though he's in disbelief and I curve away from him as Eric stands firmly between us. "He would kill you, he is a vampire."

"I don't care, he won't. Go away!" Raising my hand, I charge my light as my palm begins to shine and a blast of white scorches down the alley to dissipate once it passes where he was standing. He managed to dodge it, appearing around the corner again a moment later and approaching with his hands raised as though to signify peace.

"My apologies, little fae, I merely wanted to ascertain your stance on the issue. Our kinds do not often mix, which does pose a concern for me regarding my child."

"We cannot harm what is ours." I hiss, offended that he would go so far as to endanger himself as I know his demise would likely hurt Eric.

The boisterous laughter from him makes me look up at Eric as I'm unsure how to respond and I see that he is smiling down at me. "You are wonderful." I'm speechless at the compliment and he looks back towards his maker. "You seem to be offending mine."

"No doubt, I have never gotten along well with the fae, no matter my intentions. Call for me should you need me." He's disappeared a second later, his void moving out of my range quickly.

"Now, what to do with you?" Musing, he looks down at my face and I smile as he looks almost drunk.

"Well you could start with putting a stop to being such a hard ass all the time." Seeming surprised by my words, he cracks another smile and I wonder if the bond didn't improve his mood.

"Yes, I could attempt such a thing. But perhaps you would instead like to come inside, and I will buy you a drink. No lemon of course this time and the waitress who took the order was fired. Then we can sit down to talk for a while." I give a single hard laugh but nod, my side against him as he pulls me closer.

The glass he hands me a short time later is full of fruit and a sweet liquor that blends with the other flavors perfectly. Sitting across from him at a small private table I ignore the people for the most part until I get an idea, asking him for a notepad. Jotting things down, he gets the idea as he looks over my shoulder to read what I've written. Offenders of the rules are weeded out of the crowd as he dispatches his child, and the bartender who I learn is named Longshadow.

"Is that his real name?" I ask Eric after he's gone through the entrance to escort someone out.

"As far as I know, yes." He has an arm around my shoulders, his face bored as he looks apathetically over the crowd. Watching for a while, I notice a pattern as he only allows Ginger to take his place, opening her mind wide for my viewing and immediately finding it full of holes.

"What are Ginger's responsibilities?" Raising an eyebrow, he seems interested by the question but doesn't mind sharing.

"She is a waitress as well as she looks after the place during the day for deliveries. At times like these she takes over the stations of Pam and Longshadow when they are indisposed." Not responding, I focus on the woman's mind harder as I delve deeper, working to worm my way behind the many glamours that I see.

Absorbing the information piece by piece, I memorize the parts that are important before returning to myself and seeing that Eric is staring at me. Smiling simply, I hope to reassure him that nothing is amiss until the right time. "Do you have a kitchen in the back, or should I order take out?"

One of the waitresses bring over a stack of delivery menus a moment later and I decide quickly before handing them back. The food arrives faster than I would have thought possible and I thank the new girl, seeming to surprise her as she walks away smiling. It's from an Italian place nearby, ravioli with a small salad which pairs well and I wonder if the food smell bothers Eric causing me to glance into the bond. He seems indifferent now, although he is quite curious, likely about my behavior as I haven't yet told him the reason for my questions.

The time ticks by steadily until the end of the night and Eric can sense that I want to stay, obliging me as he doesn't move from his spot next to me. Waiting until the back door closes on all the leaving vampires, I stand and go behind the bar as Eric follows closely. "I noticed earlier that Longshadow would only allow Ginger to work behind the bar, and then before closing he was sure to get her alone at some point." Pulling a ledger from beneath the bar, I open it as Eric appears surprised that I knew where it was. Snapping my fingers, he observes with interest as a leather bag appears in the air next to me and I pull out a highlighter.

"How did you do that?" He questions, reaching to touch the bag as though ascertaining that it is real.

"I have lots of tricks." Winking at him with a smile, he smirks and looks down as I start going over a multitude of entries in quick succession, ticking them off in my head. "I'm assuming that someone manages your books. You should have him double check all of these."

I realize that he feels calculating and look up at his face to see he is scrutinizing the large page in front of me. "No… I see it. As soon as you started I figured it out, only the ones you pointed out are off. Fucking thief!" He says the last part in a low growl and I notice his hand on the edge of the bar, the wood almost splintering beneath it. Putting my own hand over his, he immediately relaxes and I smile.

"Don't want to have to replace the bar due to damage, do you? The wood isn't the one responsible." I scold him playfully and he snorts, his phone in his hand a moment later. My bag disappears with a tiny pop and his eyes train to the spot where it was as I tell him that it times out after a couple of minutes.

Speaking in Swedish, he asks someone called Luka to give him a call back as it goes to voicemail. "Who's Luka?" I ask, and he looks surprised but smiles.

"He is Longshadow's maker, and quite a ruthless one at that. I will send him to his maker, who will pay me back, and he will punish his child as he sees fit. Whether you caught it or not, our accountant would have caught this during the quarterly review. I'm almost insulted that he thought we wouldn't notice, especially Pam, as I allow her to stock the bar as she sees fit thus she gets a piece of the profits. She reviews everything the accountant does as she doesn't want to be shorted on her clothes money." Hitting a sequence of numbers into his phone, he holds it up again and waits as it rings.

"Yes?" The voice on the other end answers on the first ring although sounding hesitant.

"Bruce, this is Eric. You will be here tomorrow night at dark, no exceptions, am I understood?" There's no room for argument and I wonder if he would ever dare to do so.

"Y-yes sir." Nervousness is prevalent as the man stutters and hangs up.

"Bruce is my accountant. He's a very nervous human but he does a good job."

"That sounds like the highest of compliments he could receive from you." My smile seems to break his composure for a second and he returns the grin, glancing around the split second before doing so to ensure that we are alone. They humans had started to leave as soon as we'd begun speaking, the bar likely going to be cleaned after we are gone. A gleam comes into his eye, something salacious seeming to go through his head and I interrupt as though I didn't notice. "Do you know the vampires that were with Sophie Anne?"

"No, why?" He finally inquires, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Apart from the human of course, one of those vampires wasn't actually a vampire. The tall one with auburn hair, she was different somehow. I didn't get enough time to figure it out before I had to leave." There's something that comes to life in his eyes as I remind him and he seems to want to ask about it, but continues with the subject at hand.

"I know her name is Willow, but nothing else. She watched me from the moment they entered, so I too had wondered what her interest was." His brow furrows slightly as he glances around, his thoughts likely busy as he wonders about her.

"Whatever she is, she can mask her presence and fully act out being a vampire as though she were one, but there was something to her void that I couldn't ignore. I can tell she's not really a vampire."

"Her void?" He asks, not fully understanding and I realize that I hadn't told him yet.

"I cannot hear vampires, as they are voids in my mind's eye, but I am telepathic."

Grinning slyly, he moves closer almost imperceptibly. "That would explain quite a few things, and it also makes you quite valuable."

"Well I hope that doesn't sway your decision away from keeping me." A sharp growl responds as he pins me to the bar with his hands on either side of my waist.


	5. Chapter 5

His eyes pierce into mine as he looks down at me predatorially. "You are mine, do not doubt it."

"So then, who is moving in with whom?" I purposely derail him as I smile amusedly.

"What?" He asks, coming to a full stop just millimeters from kissing me.

Frowning, I hope idly that he doesn't expect anything less. "Well I just bought a new house but I assume you have your own?"

"Typically, I go to rest in a secured cell downstairs or at the home that I sometimes share with Pamela. Would your home happen to have a basement?" He inquires and I breathe a silent sigh of relief as I had wondered for a second if he would protest.

"Actually, it has more than that." Holding out my hand, he seems skeptical but takes it as he senses me being slightly mischievous. "Hold your breath." I pop an instant later, hoping he listened but not knowing as I feel his grip on my hand tighten minutely. "We won't get separated." My voice will sound disjointed to him, but I hope it helps as we pass through a wormhole.

He grips the wall, leaning against it as he gathers himself with his eyes closed for a second before opening them slowly. "So, that is what teleporting is like."

"Only the first few times, until you get used to it." I laugh slightly before waving my hand out, indicating the rest of the room. "This is my bedroom, fully underground with a large bathroom and closet through those doors. The upstairs is furnished but I mostly just go up there for the kitchen." I'm brought to a stop as he is staring at me strangely, something I'm not quite familiar with stirring through his side of the bond. "Wha-" I'm cut off as he pulls me closer, his lips meeting mine and I melt against his chest as he holds me. He has one hand on my lower back and the other on the back of my skull, my arms wrapping around his sides as I allow myself to be swept away.

Something hard presses against my back and I realize he's pressed me against the wall, my legs feeling weak as I get a little light headed before he releases me. I rest my head back against the cool surface as I take a slow breath, opening my eyes to find his staring back. "I am not used to such things." He mutters, a rumble in the base of his chest that vibrates through his words audibly. His nose runs down my jawline a second later before he is inhaling at my throat, the feeling of his irritation almost enjoyable as he growls loudly. "Why can I not smell you?"

"Because I still have a shield up…" I trail off as it bursts like a bubble, flooding him with my scent as he presses closer, seemingly gone with his senses. Even the bond betrays him as I feel him go blank for a second, rational thought lost to him before it returns with a vengeance.

"A fairy has invited me into their resting place, their safest and usually their most guarded place. You have even offered for me to use your home as my own, as though you have no care for your own wellbeing." There's no emotion to his words and I cut him off from saying more, making sure he doesn't get the wrong idea.

"This is a once given lifetime pass, for only one other. Ever. Your child is not even welcome here." The loud snarl that fills the room is oddly passive.

"Very good, as you are mine." His lips crash to mine again and I return the heated kiss, not missing the brush of a fang against my tongue as he's careful not to scratch me.

"Mmm… you are mine as well, but I know vampires can be quite promiscuous-"

"You've had all of me since I first seen you in person. If I hadn't feared that you would fry me to a crisp, I would have gotten to you that very first night." His words answer one of my few remaining things to address, my lips meeting his this time and I can feel the growl I incite from his chest. "You're unbelievable." He mutters against me as I breathe for a second, making me smile.

"Same goes to you. Any other to get me into this position would have finished me off already." There's a darkness that seems to creep into his mind as he's kissing down my throat.

"None will harm you." There's almost a silent promise of death present, the demise of any to touch me certain and I feel safe even as I detect the point of a fang ghosting over my skin. His scent is strong in my nose as I lean into him, my hands tangling into his hair as I hold him closer without hesitation.

"No other." I reassure him, nudging him mentally as I tilt my head to bare the skin of my neck. Nothing else is needed before he bites down, the pinch of him doing so barely detectable before he is pulling and sending a hypnotic tingling through every part of me. Closing my eyes, I fall into his void as I swim through his emotions and I'm surprised when I can feel his finite restraint. Warmth has spread through every part of me as I'm lulled into the closeness of it all, but I still want to know more as I delve deeper.

Silence suddenly crashes in my ears, a white noise prompting me to open my eyes and I find myself standing in a dark space, blackness surrounding me in all directions. I glance down to realize that I am walking on black water, ripples going out with every slight movement and barely illuminated by something behind me. The glow draws my attention as I turn in place to find a soft blue line of light stretching from one side to the other into infinity. Stepping closer, I notice that it seems tangible despite being composed of nothing but energy and I find that I want to test it. Reaching out I realize that this is a mental plane, my arm glowing as it's composed of my own light and I know that I should not be able to reach this place yet, but none the less here I am. The knowledge of what I'm seeing flows forth as I figure it out, barely tapping the line of light in front of me and listening to the growl that fills the air. "It's okay." I whisper into the darkness, moving to caress his last strand of control as it quivers beneath my attentions. His senses calm before I progress with taking a firmer grasp, and I snap it cleanly in two.

I'm careful to be sure he feels my submission in the bond as I return to myself, not wanting to provoke him in the wrong direction. His hands grip my sides, leaving the wall where he'd braced himself and he lifts me to wrap my legs around his waist smoothly without leaving my throat. There's a roughness to his touch, but it's just the right amount and I momentarily give in to a newfound ecstasy when he bites slightly harder. Every vampire has a baser self that rises to the surface and I can feel that the rational side of Eric has receded, leaving me with the something that's always wanted nothing but blood and pleasure. "Are you still mine?" I whisper in his ear, feeling that he has no interest in attempting to reassert his control. "I'd hate for this to be the first time… and the last." I voice my baser fear to his baser self, letting him feel it fully which seems to wash through his heated emotions coldly despite no change in his physical stance until a moment later when he kisses me fiercely.

His eyes meet mine and they're still black but there's a depth to them that I cannot grasp, one of his hands gently cupping my cheek despite his current state. My fingers move over his arm, sliding over his skin until my hand covers his. "You could crush stone and yet… you've not even left me with a bruise." Something twangs in his memories, causing him a regret as he leans in and I feel his lips moving against my skin.

"I apologize, if I hurt you in my office. Could I change the past, I would." His breath washes over me, leaving goosebumps beneath my ear and I shiver.

"I understand." I start to say more but he cuts in, kissing me as he feels that I truly don't care about what happened.

My back is pressed into the bed a moment later as he descends over me, his mouth meeting mine again and he finds no resistance as he progresses into our night of blood and pleasure. Drifting off to sleep several hours later, I register that he has curled around me comfortably before everything goes dark.

Waking is another new experience as I find myself still held by the vampire, his face buried in my hair as his arms are wrapped around me. Sleepy fog fills my mind and dissipates slowly as everything filters back in from the recent days and hours, happily pressing back to snuggle against him as I don't want to move. Managing to free myself from his iron grip a while later, I take care of my needs in the bathroom before going to the kitchen for a quick meal. I'm crawling back into bed when I push him back, sitting atop his hips before bending forward to press against him completely and kiss him slowly. Twisting my fingers into his hair, he doesn't respond at first but I feel it as he sparks to awareness in the bond, a second of initial defensiveness being swept away as he returns my kiss. His hands play over my back, holding me down against him subtly as he doesn't want me to move away and I'm happy to oblige.

"So, you've slept with a fairy beside you. Are you feeling lucky to be alive?" I tease, making him cock a halfhearted grin before he's flipped me beneath him, comfortably pressing against me without too much weight.

"You have left yourself fully vulnerable to a vampire, do you feel the same?" He matches my teasing tone, his hand holding my wrists loosely above my head.

"I feel as though I belong wherever you are." I mutter, yawning for a second as I pull my hands free to wrap them around his sides and curl up beneath him.

There's an uncertainty radiating from him as I realize he's likely never been in such a position as he is now but he doesn't miss a beat as he kisses me lightly. "It is mutual then as I do not wish to so much as let you out of my sight."

I'm flattered, thinking for a second about the previous night. "Do you know what a mental plane is?" He shakes his head, waiting for me to explain as he knows I have a reason behind bringing it up. "It is another plane of existence, created by and within your mind. Usually they're unreachable and most don't even realize that one exists within them. Within it, you are everything, the air water and sky. If you were fae, you would be able to access mine if we meditated together for long enough, but I doubt that would be possible. However, I was able to reach yours last night."

"I wondered what happened, as it felt like you weren't just with me in the bond but somehow closer. Then I lost control. You should be careful doing that, I cannot be certain that I wouldn't harm you by accident while just trying to move you or touch you." Cutting him off with a tap on the bond, he leans into me as I tug his hair slightly.

"I'm not worried, you shouldn't be either." Doing my best to stifle him with affection, he smiles but doesn't release me from beneath him as I try to get up.

I giggle as he places butterfly kisses down my jaw to my throat. "I would like to get a shower at some point."

"That is not a problem." He says heatedly before we're suddenly moving, my back to the shower wall a as my legs wrap around his waist.

The bar is busy when we arrive, Eric's hand around my side as he matches my pace before pulling me into his lap on the stage. "I only have to be here for a couple of hours tonight, to keep Pam happy as my presence seems to make the humans energized. Afterward I would take you to have a meal somewhere." There's something in the bond that I had been wondering about, a feeling like he was holding it in focus at all times and I realize that he may very well be doing so to keep a tab on my physical wellbeing. A strange butterfly goes through my stomach as I feel genuinely cared for, nodding to agree with his wishes silently.

I don't miss the stares I receive from the human men who aren't interested in Eric, my legs over his lap as I sit up resting against his shoulder, his phone in my hands as I try to play a game on it. Glancing up at his face at one point, I realize that he seems to be glaring at the crowd and his eyes meet mine for a second before I whisper. "It might be hard for them to be afraid of you with me up here." He doesn't outwardly respond but I feel that he is amused and I look down again, getting the hang of the game on the screen. Ignoring the malice of the humans who wish to be in my place, as well as the lusty imaginings of the men who wish to be in Eric's, I skim the human thoughts with a filter. The accountant, Bruce, is noticed as soon as he enters my range and soon parks his car in the lot out back.

He comes in the back door with a door code unique to him and goes straight to Eric's office as he's been instructed to in the past. I'm surprised at how loyal he is although he fears Eric greatly and I deduce that it's only due to him being a paranoid man who overthinks things and works himself up. Apparently, his parents do not help either, constantly talking to him about how he's going to be killed if he keeps working for the supernatural. Smiling devilishly, I start to pick apart the minds of many of the women in the room until I finally find a suitable one and am standing as Eric does so a minute later. "You should really set Bruce up with a woman, the poor man. _She_ would be good." I point her out as we pass near her table and he raises an eyebrow, but says something to pam practically silently as we pass by the bar which causes her to look at him with confusion even as she nods. "I'd also suggest being a little nicer, as he couldn't be more loyal." I mutter as we go down the hallway, seeming to feed into his calculating mind as he takes my words into consideration, opening his office door for me.

"Bruce, I need you to work something up on a letterhead for me. We've discovered that Longshadow has been cooking the books and skimming money out of the bar, therefore I need a detailed summary of the missing money laid out on an invoice to his maker on my desk by tomorrow night. Pam will give you the books at the bar, the highlighted sections are what you should focus on. Have a drink while you're here, since you're on the clock the whole night I'll release you to do as you please." He seems nervous, but appreciates that everything has been clearly laid out for him.

"Yes, s-sir. I'll deliver it during the day into your d-drop box by the b-back door as well as email it t-to you." He's speaks slowly, his words careful as he isn't the most confident and I notice that he's making a point not to look at me as he doesn't know who I am. His stutter seems to be natural and I consider his memories a little more closely, seeing that it developed when he was a child. Apparently, no doctor could pin down a cause, but as I look through snippets of his life I find that it was likely his overbearing parents making him afraid of the world.

Moving towards the door and gesturing me to follow, Eric remembers something and stops following me out before putting a hand on the human mans should, surprising him. "You've done good work for me over the years Bruce, I'm going to raise your pay by ten percent, permanently." He's speechless as Eric has never been so forthcoming or generous with him and I'm pleased that he didn't brush off what I said, instead using it to his advantage.

"You're a good boss." He looks at me with a raised eyebrow as we walk through the parking lot behind the building. "From what I've read in their heads, you're more than fair with them all. I've not been here long, but it seems that it is not common for the employers around here to treat their employees as well as you do."

"Yes, Godric taught me to treat my underlings very well long ago. Treat them well and they shall serve you better." He pulls a set of keys from his pocket, surprising me when a bright red sports car beeps ahead of us and the doors open of their own accord. Holding my hand as I sit down onto the rich leather, he closes the door and appears next to me, the engine purring to life a second later as his door latches into place.

We're travelling down the highway that wraps around most of the town a minute later, taking the last exit on the other side of the city, soon pulling into a strip of upscale establishments. A restaurant sits on one corner, nothing marking it as such except the smell of food hanging around it and my mouth waters as we go inside. "What is this place?" I ask, no names on the black glass doors and nothing on the walls or menus, but more importantly a barrier on the entire place that seems to make everyone invisible to my telepathy. It's selective on what it blocks out which I determine as I tap the table, the muffling I usually do during conversation still working.

"It is a well-kept secret, run by one of the very few witch covens trusted by the vampire council. They have one of these restaurants in every area. You probably noticed the barrier, that is to keep peace as it hampers anyone with malicious intent from using their abilities. It's a good place for negotiations, and dating." Smirking, he pulls out my chair for me and I accept the offer before he sits on the other side of our corner table.

"Would you call this just dating?" My question seems to throw him off for a second until he smirks.

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure what opinion I should have of a woman who allows me to do such things to her _before_ the first date." Chuckling for a second, I meet his gaze evenly with a smile.

"What opinion _do_ you have of the woman who chose you for her first and forever?" He goes still for a second, blinking as he stares at me and I contain myself from laughing as he stares without speaking for longer than normal.


	6. Chapter 6

"So, who is this?" I'm not expecting the interruption, my smile dropping as I look up at the dark-haired woman who's approached the table from behind me.

"Nobody of your concern. What are you doing here?" Eric demands, standing outside of the perimeter of my muffle so as not to let anyone know it is in place while I stay in my seat browsing the menu.

"My child would like to move into your area, what would be needed in order to make that acceptable?" Her voice tells me everything, the entitlement oozing on every word and I can feel Eric's temper rise as he prickles.

"How old is he?" His voice is full of authority, his duty as Sheriff clearly part of his pride as he's good at what he does.

"Two hundred and twelve." Her voice is flat, as though she knows what is coming and sure enough he growls slightly louder.

"Then he can ask me himself! If he isn't capable of venturing out on his own without his maker paving his way at over two hundred, then he won't _survive_ moving to my area. You don't live here either, and I want you gone within twenty-four hours." Her face is clear as she looks furious but cannot do anything, turning a second later and disappearing at high speed.

"A friend of yours?" I ask, making him give a hard laugh as he shakes his head slightly.

"Not quite. I was once tasked with removing her from another area, about a hundred and fifty years ago, as she and her child decided to slaughter their way through an entire brothel. The vampires in the area kept a very low profile and were very displeased when they learned of what had been done. The brothels back then were often our only reliable source of blood when it was critically needed, and that one had to be burned to the ground to truly hide all of the evidence. The magister took over the case as soon as we handed them over." A waitress appears in a black uniform, taking the menus along with my order before Eric waves her away.

"Nothing for you?"

Grinning devilishly, he gives me a quick kiss. "No, that will do for now."

"How much do you usually need to drink?" I'm curious, seeming to surprise him.

"After last night I won't need to drink again for another two days. You, however, I know need to eat more often so just let me know if you are hungry and we will get you food anytime." I smile, appreciating the thought and I snap my finger on my left side, hiding it from the room as my bag appears. Reaching inside, I pull out a bag of apples and show it to him before I put it away.

"It stays in suspended animation, so everything is frozen in time once it leaves here." Snapping my fingers again, it goes away and he looks calculating.

"That could be useful for a lot of things." His observation is an obvious one and I nod, glancing over as a large group of people passing by to get to larger tables in the back. Freezing, he feels me doing so and is immediately on edge as I turn back to him stiffly.

"Willow is there. Is the queen here?" His eyes move almost imperceptibly to confirm who I spotted and I feel him seething internally.

"It would be best if we were to ignore her. There is nothing we can do in here." I know he's right and my food arrives soon, quickly gone as I eat with a purpose. We pay our bill quickly and leave as the restaurant is starting to get busier, doing my best to ignore the urge to look back as we walk out.

"Care to accompany me to the bookstore? I'd like to browse for a few things." He does so, sensing that I'm up to something and follows me across the street to the two-story bookstore in between a salon and a clothing store.

"Anything in particular that you are after?" Shaking my head, I pick up a cookbook that catches my eye while also scouring the street going from mind to mind as I watch the restaurant. It doesn't take too long before I see her come outside, her head turning scan the street all around her and I bring her fake void into my focus. I feel as Eric steps closer, acting as though we are looking at something together to hide the fact that I'm staring into space, having sensed when I zoned out. It's not the peerless void of a vampire, a strange substance to it behind whatever the shield is making it appear the way it does. Deciding that I want to get to the bottom of this I press closer, not worried about her noticing me mentally when there's no reaction. Finally digging my claws into the cloak, I put a burst of my light behind my strength as I rip it aside and I'm surprised when she turns her head to look straight at the bookstore.

Grabbing Eric's hand, his fingers wrap around mine and I pop us both, landing in my kitchen a moment later.

"What was that about?" He asks, gripping the counter lightly to steady himself.

"She had a sort of mask on her mind, making it look like a void and she noticed me when I ripped it off. I'm not sure what she would have done once she got into the bookstore so I decided to just get us out. Do you think the queen is aware that she has a witch masquerading through her court?" Turning towards the fridge, I grab a bottle of water as he stays silent for a second.

"I doubt it." He finally decides, thinking further before elaborating. "She's never liked witches, they're what killed her maker."

"That makes sense. I didn't get but a few seconds to look and could see that she seems to have something she wants in this area, more specifically a person but she wouldn't think of _who._ " Frowning, he doesn't look happy as he considers that.

"There is nothing noteworthy, as far as I know, about any of my residents. Willow has been following Sophie Anne for almost two months now, so whoever it is she should have been able to find them by now." Pulling out his phone, he goes through his contacts before hitting call on someone. "This is Sheriff Northman, I need to speak with the queen."

"Northman, this had better be good." I hear her voice come shrilly through the phone, putting a frown on his face.

"Your majesty, I was wondering if there was any official business I may assist you with in my area? I spotted your underling Willow in my area earlier tonight." There's silence for a second before I hear her shouting.

"Where the hell is Willow?" Eric doesn't say anything as she addresses someone in her presence. "Northman, I do not know what she is doing there but I will find out. Do notify me if she is spotted there again."

"Of course, your majesty." Looking displeased with her response he hangs up, sitting the phone on the counter.

"Did she go rogue?" I wonder aloud, watching as he considers it but in the end shakes his head.

"Not unless she has no problem being killed or removed from any area Sophie Anne has authority over."

"Do you think she's connected with the werewolf?" I ask in a moment of clarity and he looks at me with surprise, not having considered it himself. "How long have you had the werewolf?"

"Long enough that if he were captured, whoever was controlling him would indeed coming snooping around by now. Let's return to the bar." As I nod in agreement he grabs his phone followed by my hand and we stand in his office a few seconds later.

Opening the office door, he leads me down to the basement and I ignore the iron I sensed contained within a locked chest in the corner as we get closer to the werewolf. He's been beaten extensively, his chest covered in red and his face lacerated in numerous places. Putting a hand on Eric's shoulder, he stops on the stairs to look back and I motion for him to stay put as I step forward. Not moving, he watches curiously as I kneel to be face to face with the werewolf.

His mind is dark, unconsciousness blocking the main amount of his mind but his dreams of running in a field provide me passage into his most recent memories. "Allen?" He doesn't stir until I say his name a second time, his mind slowly livening up as I ignore the pain he's feeling. "Allen, are you alright?" Looking up at me strangely, I move slightly to ensure that he cannot see Eric behind me and smile down at him. "Master sent me, Allen, it's time to go home. I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"

"Master sent you? To get me?" His jumbled mind works hard as he processes this and I feel him accepting my words, glancing back at Eric to make sure he pays attention. "We're going to go north out of the city, then we'll get somewhere to heal you up."

"Okay." He says as Eric's already disappeared, headed towards the woods north of the city as I put a hand on Allen's shoulder and teleport us. He collapses to the ground a second later, unable to stay conscious through the teleport and I wait for Eric to appear as I feel him getting closer.

"What are you doing?"

"Just stay where he can't see you, downwind." He nods, moving back behind several trees and I turn back to the werewolf. My hand glows red a moment later, seeping into the injuries I pass over as I heal the worst of his pains as well as give him enough energy to function properly.

"Who are you?" He asks, waking up again just as my glow vanishes and I smile.

"Master sent me to heal you, but you need to get back to him on your own. You should be able to make it now. Get going, before the vampires realize your missing from their dungeon." Comprehension is quicker this time despite his mind still being slightly skewed by what he's been through and he shifts into a werewolf before turning away to run. Eric is beside me a second later, his eyes trained on the wolf going into the distance. "Now we just follow him."

"How do we know he'll go back to his master?"

"Because all I could find was memories of him in the basement and the hours beforehand when he was still wandering around the city. It's also a very strong glamour, not sloppy and done in a haste like most of the ones Longshadow used on Ginger." Looking to the side suddenly, my eyes widen as I feel his light blinking out, Eric seeming to scent something a second later as he tenses as well. "He's dead."

Eric has picked me up before I can say anything more, racing forward before he stands me behind him as I see the body in the darkness ahead. Moving closer, I can't sense anyone nearby and give the all clear, looking over the scene. His head has been nearly severed, his throat torn out and I look at Eric as he moves around the underbrush. "I can't smell anyone else here."

"The witch again?" I wonder aloud as he gives a call to the local werewolves to request they clean up the body.

"Perhaps, it would make sense as they can make charms for scent changing. I'm sending out a few feelers to see if anyone is missing any werewolves matching the description." His fingers race over his phone before he puts it away. "What is wrong?"

"What?" Not sure what he means, I ask for clarification and he appears before me a second later, his hand touching my chin gently to look up at him.

"You seem unhappy with something, what is it?" Thinking through my emotions at the moment, I realize what he's referring to and smile softly.

"It was just a passing thought. We've been bonded less than a week and already so many things are happening to stop us from just being together. I'll enjoy it when we can just _be_."

I'm picked up again a second later and he smirks down at me, making me wonder what he's doing before I realize that we're midair. Throwing my arms around his neck, I look down over his shoulder only to regret the decision as my stomach turns. Hiding my face in his chest, he chuckles, his arms securely around me as we move. "Nothing can get us up here."

"I'm sure, just don't drop me." I don't open my eyes, keeping them closed until I feel him turning to float on his back and I open them to stare solidly at his face as I lay atop him.

"Look up." I do so as he turns me gently, my back to his chest as I focus on the moon. "I promise you'll never have a better view of the night sky." Relaxing against his larger frame, I understand what he means as I trace constellations with my eyes.

"Best seat in the house." I can feel him smiling in the bond, his nose in my hair as he breathes deeply to inhale my scent.

"Do not worry. After we've settled these few things, we'll go somewhere quiet for a while." Enjoying the thought of that I wonder where we'll go and ask as much. "Perhaps I'll take you to Sweden, or the jungles of South America. Would you prefer warm or cold?"

"I prefer to be with you, no matter the weather." He's warm in the bond, his emotions soft and alluring as I enjoy the contact enhancing the bond.

"That is a given, dear one." My stomach tingles pleasantly with his endearment, my eyes scouring the sky until I see a shooting star a few minutes later.

"Make a wish." I mutter to him and I feel him snort. "No wishes, not even one?"

"No, I already have everything I could possibly wish for right here." Butterflies go through me once again and I caress him in the bond.

"Are you trying to flatter me? It's working." His grin can be detected without me needing to look at his face.

"You did ask that I stop being such a hard ass around you. Nobody else would even _think_ to make such a request of me." His lips are against my throat a second later, teasing my skin gently as I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation. I'm not sure when it happens as I bask in his affection, but at some point, I drift to sleep while still laying atop him in the sky.

When I wake up, I recall the last thing we were doing and curl closer, comfortable as Eric apparently brought me home and came to bed with me. It's daytime as I sense the sun outside and I play my fingers across his chest idly, lying with my head on his shoulder. His arm secures me to his side and I appreciate the feel of it, an enjoyable peacefulness in the air as I don't move from my spot.

My eyes close again at some point and I'm woken later with soft kisses, my body pinned beneath his enjoyably. "You have slept for a full day." He mutters against me and I feel that it is a bit of a concern for him.

"Yeah, I woke up but I didn't want to leave." I doubt that I'll ever get tired of his smile when I make him genuinely do so, kissing him again and he growls hungrily as I pull him closer.

"What did I do to make the gods happy enough to send you to me?" He grins as I laugh, my hands playing through his hair as I know he enjoys it.

"You should really be thanking whatever god allowed me to be in the right place at the right time to find you on the map. For some reason it was blocked from anyone seeing it, but I think it was due to you being a vampire. Someone seemed to believe you would kill me." His lips are on my neck a second later, sucking without biting and I squirm against him. "You _are_ killing me."

"Do not tease me, fairy." His tone is playfully dangerous, a growl in his chest as he nibbles on my flesh without breaking it. "I might just have to finish you off."

"You're terrible." I breathe the words out, his lips against mine again a second later.

"Yes, quite, but you cannot deny that you enjoy it. You love that you've tamed such a beast." He grins triumphantly before leaning in, kissing over my neck once more.

"Tamed? I've barely even calmed you down." Stroking the bond eagerly, he shivers over me as I whisper to him. "You seem to forget that I can feel your hunger." Turning my head to the side, I tug him mentally as he growls, a distinct click telling me that he's taking the bait.

"Fucking tease." He rumbles the words in my ear, kissing beneath it after I hear the last syllable.

"No, a tease doesn't follow through. We both know that I will follow through." Tugging his hair, I groan as he bites and hold myself to him.

"I'll never get enough of you." I mutter in my delirium, making him chuckle as he heals and releases my flesh a second later.

"I believe I am the one who should be saying as much." He's grinning as though drunk, kissing me softly a second later before we're suddenly in the shower.

Pulling pants from his mostly empty drawer in the closet he gets them on one leg at a time, speaking to me as he does so. "I have some paperwork I would like you to sign so that I can file you as my bonded with the Authority. It would protect us legally and politically should I be forced to dispatch someone for getting too close."

"At your office?" I ask, straitening my shirt after pulling it over my head and he nods as he laces up his boots at vampire speed. Pulling a leather jacket from the rack, he puts it on over a plain white shirt and turns to me as I finish with my own shoes. Taking my hand, I give him a mental warning and teleport a second later, his desk a few feet in front of us.

It only takes a few seconds before he is on the computer, pulling up a form to fill in the blanks and looks at me. "I don't actually know your last name." He seems to realize, looking at me oddly.

"Oh, well, Brigant." I say as though it's nothing, staring straight at the screen despite feeling his eyes burning a hole in the side of my head.


	7. Chapter 7

"You're… a Brigant?" Saying it slowly, I feel it as it slowly sinks in for him and his voice trails off as I nod and finally look at his stoic face.

"Is that a problem?" Inquiring directly, he snorts and gives a hard laugh, shaking his head.

"Not really, but I would hope that you haven't told anyone your real name."

"No, I have some fake identities with bank cards such that I use for everything. I do have my own identity here as Sookie Brigant with a Social Security card and all that but I had assumed I would take your last name. Did you not want me to?" Turning my head slightly, I'm not prepared when he crushes his lips to mine, seemingly enticed with the thought of me donning his last name.

A silent rumble vibrates through his chest as he pulls back to look at me. "Of course, I had assumed you would not be willing, but I would insist given that a Brigant fairy would be a coveted prize for any vampire. Whether you're willing or not. Let me pull up a few more forms and we'll file a name change through a private official that will keep it quiet. I'll file the bonded paperwork using our shared last name so as to keep you hidden from the vampire community." Giving him another kiss, he feels my agreement and I watch as he moves the mouse. I'm surprised by how fast he can move his hands over the keyboard, downloading and filling the forms completely in less than a few minutes. A large stack of paper prints quietly in the corner and he has me sign my old name away first before I sign with my new one on the paperwork declaring me as his bonded.

Putting it through a scanner, he begins to email parts to all of the appropriate places and I play the game I've been interested by on his phone as I wait. "There are a few things in my email that I need to address, Sheriff business. Would you want to wait in the bar for me so that you're not bored?" Thinking about it for a moment, I shake my head.

"How about I go shopping for a bit, there's a few things I need to pad out my wardrobe with and we'll meet at home later?" Nodding, he gives me another kiss, watching me until the second I pop to a shopping center nearby and I sense him monitoring the bond idly as I go about my business.

It takes several hours of careful browsing before I head home, putting everything in its place and making a small dinner for myself before decidedly heading to bed. Giving Eric a loving brush through the bond, he does the same back as I drift off and I anticipate him waking me at some point when he returns.

I'm curled around a cool frame as I wake, Eric's arms loosely around me as I lay across his chest with our legs tangled. Kissing him on the cheek, I sense that it is early morning and I wonder how late he returned that he decided not to wake me. Spending a bit just looking at him, I finally get up as my stomach growls and I'm in the kitchen for a while as I make a full meal. The doorbell rings as I'm cleaning everything up, turning on the dishwasher before going to open the front door.

Grinning at the arrival, I move out of the way promptly as a man pulls a dolly inside and I direct him towards the living room. "Against the inside wall, opposite of the windows, you can just put them all next to each other." Sitting it into place, the first large wooden bookcase is set back against the wall and they bring in three more to fill the wall space with the beautifully crafted shelves. A final, identical shelf is left standalone in the center of the living room at my request and although they look at me oddly they don't protest to following my instruction. One of them hands me a clipboard which I sign quickly, thanking them as they go and watching from the open front door as another delivery vehicle arrives to replace the furniture truck.

"Good day, miss." A man says as he approaches, handing me an envelope which I open to find a complete list of what I've received and a note from Claude. I'd messaged him a few days prior and requested that he make copies of an extensive list of books from the royal library to send to me. Book binding was a special talent of his as the pages of his special books are blank to any who does not possess fairy blood. He'd gone a step further though, making is so as the books only react to my own blood rather than all fae. Pointing the men to in front of the bookshelves they go to work, unloading box after box until they're all stacked together neatly on the carpet. I thank them for their work as they are finished quickly, watching them go before securing the house and returning to the living room to open the first box immediately.

The smell that fills my nose is a familiar one of the royal library where Claude likely did his work, relishing it as I spend the next several hours unpacking and sorting. Around lunch time, stack after stack is filling the floor space as I've worked to sort and categorize them, making sure they are how I want before looking to the shelves. They're solid and hand crafted locally according to the werewolf salesman in the small storefront I'd gone into, and I'd been surprised by the quality of everything they had for sale. I'd noticed the shelves while he told me about the local werepanther tribe several miles south of the city who had created their own small community, nothing more than a drug riddled hovel for over a decade. But after their matriarch died, someone stepped in and brought new life to the place, teaching them practical crafts to earn money and better their lives. For the past many years, they'd been the source of the furniture sold in the store owned by the werewolf I'd spoken to, confirming everything he told me as I'd looked through his head. The books go smoothly over the perfectly varnished surface, each shelf slowly filling as I place them all carefully in order and I make a mental note to return to the store to look at anything else I might want for the house.

Remembering Claude's note, I pull it out and glance over it. Apparently, Niall is unhappy with my leaving but has not made any obvious moves to come after me, much to my enjoyment. I'd rather be with Eric a while longer before it's time to meet the family.

I write a thank you note to Claude for the books, putting it in a metal bowl in the kitchen with a few herbs and disintegrating it in fire as I shine my light at it for a moment. It will land on his desk with a puff of smoke, a method of communication rarely used as it's considered inconvenient, but I appreciate its ease of use. Washing the bowl quickly, I put it away and go downstairs for a shower, kissing Eric again after I've dressed before I teleport into the city. It's only midafternoon, humans clogging some of the busier streets and I weave through them easily before stepping up into a jewelry store.

I'm not surprised when one of the store attendants approaches me quickly and I am pointed to the men's jewelry, looking through the display cases carefully. Seeing a smooth platinum chain with a small pendant on the end, I ask to see it up close and it's in my hands a moment later, light reflecting off every flat surface. The flat disk of white gold stands out against the platinum stylishly, only three quarters of an inch across, and a design comes to mind as I rub a finger over the smooth polished surface. It's wrapped up into a black and red gift box that I select, a smaller black box within containing the necklace seated in cushioned velvet. Tucking it into my bag subtly when I'm in the restroom, I'm on my way down the street just a minute later and I stumble over a nearly unmarked herb shop as I search for an empty corner to teleport in on the side streets. There's a stale taste to the air as I step inside but I don't see a speck of dust anywhere, the jars and containers on each table neatly arranged. It seems to be sorted by types and uses, nobody behind the counter as I search through what they have to offer and I'm about to open a jar when I feel a presence behind me.

"If I can help?" An older woman with grey streaks through her black hair steps forward, a bag in her hand as she opens the jar.

"Please, I just needed a few stems." Happily obliging, she moves silently as I look through the other tables, grabbing the few other things I'm interested in quickly before taking it all with her to the front counter. An old yellowing notebook is sitting open as she logs what I bought along with the days date and I frown as I see the last customer was months ago.

"These are fresh, right?" I question gently, and she smiles a broad grin.

"I have lived in this very spot for a lot longer than you would imagine, young one. I've never sold but the freshest and best. You can call me Briggs. It has been a while since I've seen any of your kind in this area. Be sure to come visit me at least once more." I'm left with more questions than answers of course, but I have learned that I should not question ones that give off the same aura as she does. It's a timeless feeling, different from the age of vampires as there is no age involved, simply an existence that is. I thank her graciously for opening her shop to me before paying her along with a tip, and she returns the thanks before handing me a paper bag with everything inside.

Looking over my shoulder after I've walked at least a block away, I'm not sure if I can see the building, but it is indeed there although something makes me want to just glance over it. I can't detect any barriers but I'm sure there is one, likely making people ignore the place unless they meet some unknown prerequisite. Cleaning out the old herbs I had in the kitchen, I agree that it's as though I dried them myself, the freshness of the leaves and stems aromatically apparent.

It's getting later, and I feel that Eric seems busy, going for a shower before sorting away a few bags of clothes I'd purchased. The standalone shelf that was left in the living room is still there, my hand running over the surface before I teleport it to the bedroom and have placed perfectly against the wall a moment later. I leave it empty, not sure what I'll put there but for now I retrieve Eric's gift from my bag and glace at the center of the top shelf which should be right at his eye level. Removing the necklace from the box, I stare at it, light filling my hands as my fingers rub over the front of the small gold disk pendant attacked to it. A simple swirling design, ever looping in on itself in a knot, engraves itself into the surface as it is my chosen family crest. Should any fae ever meet him, if he's wearing it, he'll hopefully have a shield from their light with the light infused incantation I put on it. I rewrap it neatly and put it on the shelf where he'll be sure to see it, glancing at it as I go back across the room. Settling into the center of the bed, I glance through one of my books until I'm ready to sleep, teasing Eric sleepily as I do so.

I know something is wrong when I wake as Eric is not beside me, despite agreeing to meet back home. It's early in the morning as I'd only slept a few hours and I realize that it is only barely past sunset. Worry grips me as I reach for the bond, nothing there but silence and a strange absence the doesn't make any sense. Even when he is dead for the day I can still get a feel of his wellbeing and the direction of his location, but both aren't present as I grasp at an abyss. I don't know what to do at first, not sure how to react as I cannot figure out what has happened, but I quickly devise a plan as I pace the day away. Night can't come fast enough, and I wait outside the Fangtasia front door, the new doorman a vampire named Chow and he moves aside immediately to let me in.

Pam is on the stage in a tight leather outfit, something that would likely chafe and feel rather uncomfortable for a human, but she looks right at home. "Where is Eric?"

"I thought he was with you?" She says in a hiss, staring daggers at me as though it's my fault and I prickle at her tone.

"Child, if you can find where he is then tell me now, otherwise do not act as though I asked for my bonded to disappear. I left him here last night, where I assumed he'd be at least safe." My voice is layered with power from my light and she twitches, losing the bite in her voice.

"I cannot… but I'm used to him blocking me as he keeps most of himself private. We can check the security tapes though, to see when he left." Leading me back to an office across from his, I can tell it is hers by the vibrant red and pink tones covering every inch of the room. A monitor sits on a table in the corner, multiple camera angles shown on a single screen and she uses the controls to rewind to the previous night. I see him exit his office almost an hour after I'd gone to sleep, going out through the bar only to be stopped by a woman with black hair near the exit. Glaring at the screen, Pam remains silent and growls when she sees the same thing I do as the woman raises her hand, blowing some sort of dust in his face. He goes rigid, but after a moment he follows her out. Switching the camera sets, Pam shows me footage of outside as Eric walks away, disappears down the street with the woman leading him.

"Can you show me her face from any cameras earlier in the night?" I demand, and she rewinds the video from inside the bar faster than I can watch, stopping it at one point.

"Here she is, entering eighteen minutes beforehand." Rage goes through me hotly as I see the face of the witch Willow and I make a strong effort not to let my hands glow. Thoughts racing, I ward off the urge to burn anything that I can touch and instead turn to Pam as she stares silently.

"Do you know where I can find Godric?" There's something on her face that changes as she hears me, seeming to realize that I am not playing any games as she silently grabs a pen from her desk.

"This is the address to his nest, should you be able to get inside I have no doubt he'll see you." She jots it on a piece of notepad paper and I take it, thanking her before I walk out to the back door of the bar. As soon as it closes I teleport straight to the last place I visited in Texas, the Dallas Museum of Natural History. It's easy to hail a cab within a few minutes, giving the driver the paper with the address along with more than enough money to get there as soon as possible.

Pulling into a nice neighborhood, I'm surprised by how normal it looks, the house itself quite modern in appearance but not sticking out compared to some of the fancier residences around it. The lawn is perfectly manicured, a two-car garage on one side with a paved driveway and I see that there's nothing to make it notably different from any of the human homes. Every light is on inside and I walk assuredly up to the front door, the numbers next to the doorbell the same as the ones Pam wrote down.

The vampire who answers the door looks me over with a glare, not moving to permit me inside and I see what Pam had meant. "What do you want?"

"Eric is missing, and I need to speak with Godric." I decide that honesty is the best way to go, since it'll only look bad if I deceive someone into letting me in.

I'm surprised though when he snorts, moving to close the door and my anger rises in an instant, my hand shooting a yellow light into his chest. He finds himself frozen, unable to move and his eyes widen as he stares at me with his fangs dropping. However, he's unable to do anything, standing still as I walk by and I make sure not to release him until I enter a living room and see Godric sitting on the other side. Racing up behind me, he intends to grab me and I blow him back with a shard of light, not enough to harm him but enough to sting all over. Fangs drop all around me and Godric is stepping before me a second later, his hand up to stop the others from coming any closer. "Sookie, why is it you've come here?"

"Eric is missing… can you feel him at all?" He's stoic for a second, seeming to think before he finally nods. "Will you lead me to him?"

"My child can take care of himself, and would call you to him should he wish to do so." I can't believe what I'm hearing, anger compounding itself and I feel as I know a glow is shining all around me. Some of the vampires look wary but a few are curious, none of them moving though. Power crackles in the air around me, my distaste of being separated from Eric unwillingly making it unstable and I notice several vampires stepping back. I hadn't known before meeting him, but after bonding it felt as though a piece of myself had been returned to where it was previously missing. I just hadn't noticed it missing before, and now I wanted it back from wherever the witch Willow took him.

"Some fucking witch did something to him and led him off to god knows where, so I will say it once more." Poking him in the chest, a shot of light goes through him that although he doesn't show it, I'm sure it must be uncomfortable. "You _will_ take me to my mate."

"Very well then." He mutters after a second and I watch carefully as he raises his hand, taking mine in his from where I'd poked him in the chest. "But I would have you know, should you poke me in the chest again, I will have to see you punished."

My power rises bright in my hand, paralyzing him as he holds it and I can feel the chill filling the room as my light sucks away the heat. "Try it. I'll act as the fairy I am and you won't see another moon cycle."

Teleporting us out, we stand on the sidewalk down the street from his house and he looks at me sternly before relaxing as I release him. "That was rather uncalled for." He mutters, looking up around the sky for a second before staring north east. "I must keep up appearances as the vampire sheriff here, I would ask that you remember that, and of course I will assist you to locate my child. It feels like he is blocking me out but I know that he is still in Louisiana. I'll be able to get a better location when we get closer."

Reaching out a hand to him, he takes it gingerly and gives me half a grin. "You are a rather fitting mate for my child."

"Thank you. You seem to be a fitting maker." I'm not sure how else to respond, popping us into an alley just a few blocks from the bar.


	8. Chapter 8

He turns around instantly as he releases my hand. "This way." Following him closely, we begin to walk across the city as he navigates between buildings. "You did not bring Pamela along?" He questions, glancing at me when he does so.

"No, she's too young. If the witch can get control of Eric, then she can definitely control Pam." There's no response but he has a slight smile on his face.

A large, wide gray building can be seen across the street at the end of the alley ahead of us and goes straight for it. Godric's stride is unbreaking as he steadily makes his way towards it across the street and I follow closely, surprised that there is no traffic.

"Somewhere in here, on the second floor I believe." His voice is a whisper but clear in my ears, his eyes scanning every surface as we walk around the side to seek an entrance.

Searching the minds of the few humans inside, I pick up the layout of a large janitor closet going unused on the third floor and put a hand on Godric's shoulder before popping inside. "We're a floor higher. This is all office buildings on the third floor and up, the first and second floors are rentable storage units. When we find them, you need to restrain the witch and cover her mouth, can you manage that? If she can't speak or move, she shouldn't be able to do anything long enough for me to handle Eric."

"I will see to Eric, if he is under a spell then he may not know you." He tries to interject.

Giving him a sharp look, he stares back unfazed as I speak. "I will handle Eric. You handle anyone else."

There's no protest as we go down a set of stairs, avoiding the noisy elevator. The door into the lower floor opens to a hallway with doors going straight ahead as well as to either side. Looking down each end of the hallways, I put my hand on his shoulder again as he goes to walk to the left. "I can't sense anything on this floor, as if she cast something to hide it from detection."

"I can smell Eric this way." Godric leads me down the hallway to the left and I feel it as we get closer, a pulsating in the silent bond that seems to get louder in my head as we progress. "Here." He mutters, standing before a door at the end and I have him move before grasping the knob.

"Be ready." I warn him, not sure what is inside, and he pulls the door from its frame an instant later. I'm not prepared for him to grab me and move but understand why as the explosion behind us rips through the air. Landing several meters down the hallway, Godric seems stunned for a second as he took the brunt of the blast to his back and I'm not prepared for a hand to wrap itself around my neck. The mind of a werewolf is detectable to me immediately, his thoughts a blank as he merely acts and several sharp punches land in the lower center of my chest before he casts me aside roughly a moment later.

Eric's maker lays on the floor between us now and I see the werewolf looking to Godric as his next target, sorely raising my palm as it glows. "Stay down!" His head turns for his eyes to meet mine as he does so, but he shuts them as the hallway fills with blinding white, the werewolf crashing back into the room he came from. There's no life left in him, I could feel it as my light burned it from his heart and I look back to Godric as he begins to stand.

"Don't move much, I need you healed." My hand sinks energy into his flesh after I place my palm gingerly against the damaged skin, the wounds repairing themselves over a few seconds as I step back. "I think she enchanted this place, in case someone came looking." I seethe, glaring at everything around us as he seems to be assessing himself physically. "The werewolf was mindless."

"Will you be alright?" He questions, looking pointedly at my arm and I discover it was lacerated by something in the explosion, adrenaline keeping me from noticing previously.

"Will you?" My remark makes him smirk a fangy grin as I run my other hand over the weeping wound on my forearm.

"Yes…" He trails off as his head snaps to the hallway that extends straight out from the stairwell and I look at him curiously. "I can scent your blood in that direction as well, now that I know what it smells like."

"Of course." I figure it out, and he looks at me. "Eric has taken a fair amount of my blood recently. She masked his scent but didn't know mine was there. Looking that way hopefully, I steel myself from the soreness in my chest and begin moving forward with Godric at my side.

"She's a witch, she wasn't born supernatural and couldn't smell it." He mutters seemingly more to himself than to me, stopping short of the three doors at the end. "It could be any of these."

"Alright then… let's see what's behind door number one." I stand ready when he pulls it open, filling the space inside with light from over his shoulder as soon as I sense something. Another werewolf falls lifeless before he could act against us and we move on quickly.

The second door, much to our surprise, is empty although I notice that everything inside seems to be stocked supplies for witchcraft. Godric doesn't seem pleased to see this, his eyes raking over the room up until the moment we leave it behind.

Ripping the final door from its hinges, I'm certain that we've found what we're looking for as the inside is nearly black. The pulsing in my head thrums louder, signaling that Eric is closer as I step ahead of Godric and move through the doorframe. Willow is barely visible as she stands in one of the back corners of what looks like a small alchemy room, Eric in the other corner and she waves her hand at me a second before Godric is there to grab her.

Pinned to the wall, I stare up at Eric's emotionless face as I struggle at the barrier placed between us in the bond. "Eric?" I whisper, wondering if hearing my voice will help and I'm not prepared when he throws me out into the hallway with force. Hitting the far wall stops me and I attempt to get my bearings as I hear Godric call my name. "Don't interfere." I yell at him, Eric stalking towards me and I stand shakily before he slams me to the nearby wall to pin me again. Groaning in pain, I realize that she's locked him away from himself and I burst the shield around my scent as he leans in closer.

Turning my head slightly, I bare my neck and he doesn't hesitate, his fangs sinking deep as he takes rough pulls. Clutching myself up against him, I make sure my light is going through my blood and closing my eyes as I fall into darkness. The last thing I see though, is Godric stepping into view down the hallway only to collapse as Willow seems to have gotten silver onto him somehow.

A room of all black stretches out in all directions from me as I find myself on Eric's mental plane once again. Somehow, everything seems darker than before, as though the life that once populated the darkness is now gone. The black water seems more viscous than last time, feeling like I'm walking across gel rather than liquid and I'm unsettled by the change as I move forward. Attempting to take a deep breath, I realize that it is hard to do as the air seems to be thin but heavy at the same time and I begin to wonder furiously what Willow did to him. Walking onward for what seems like forever, I hear whispers in the silence around me, seeming to get louder although I can't discern them. Ahead of me at one point I see a building, far away and barely illuminated but I charge forwards toward it, not letting my own aches and pains stop me.

At first I'm certain my eyes are playing tricks on me, but I determine that no, it is in fact my own house that I see up ahead. Or at least that is how it appears despite being impossible for it to be here, my legs shaking but my body unwilling to give up as I continue to get closer. The air around me is frigid, chills racking my spine every few seconds as I quickly approach the front door and push it open as it was already ajar. The room is barren, none of the new furniture or items I'd acquired in their places in the rooms that I can see into, but I ignore it as I head straight for the stairs. Shivering, I rub my arms in a reflex attempt to warm them, but it seems to get even colder as I get closer to bottom landing. There's something that stops me from entering the bedroom, and despite wanting to pass the threshold I'm unable, looking in towards where I see two figures on the bed. It appears that everything is frozen, nothing in the room moving as I look to see the second hand frozen on the clock on the wall.

I can almost make out the shape of Eric on the bed and push against the barrier, my fury lashing out as I detest the magic stopping me. It withers rapidly beneath my light, becoming flimsy and weak until I finally press through, an anguished cry filling my ears until it cuts off slowly. It's a foreign sound, but none the less comes from Eric's familiar voice and I move forward in slow motion as the barrier continues to resist me weakly.

Barely illuminated on the bed, I can see Eric crouched over what appears to be my own body, a pool of red beneath us. Understanding creeps through me, chilly and uncomfortable as I realize that this must be Eric's greatest fear and he is locked within its grasp within his own mind. I'm all the angrier as I see that this is how Willow made him into a puppet, but I sweep it aside as my concern for him is most prevalent in the moment. The visage before me wavers as I get closer and I stop, realizing that everything I'm seeing is fragile. In his current frame of mind, I could very easily make the wrong move and everything around me would shatter like glass as he falls further off the edge. Thinking quickly, I step carefully forward and move to get onto the bed, replacing the broken Sookie as she disappears to allow me into her place. Blood tears pour down his face as he doesn't seem to register the movement as I am now beneath him, his eyes being closed despite the tears and I move my hands to wipe them away.

"Eric." I whisper his name, smiling up at him as I try to push my affection to reach him through the bond. "What is wrong?" I make sure to ask quietly when he doesn't respond, not wanting to overdo it and his eyes open slowly after a moment of silence.

"I've killed you." His voice is pained, slow but speeding up as he comes back into real time, the clock starting to tick again slowly.

"No, darling, I'm fine. See? I'm right here, it was just a bad dream. Look at me." I reassure him, the pain on his face creeping out of his features as his eyes open and he calms with every passing second. Staring at me seems to help him come out of his fog of spiraling guilt, the truth breaking through to his consciousness finally.

"Your heart stopped beating… I couldn't revive you." It takes a moment of thought to realize that most of the red around us is, in his mind, his own blood. He'd likely destroyed his wrists to try and bring me back, his arms down where I can't see them, but I have no doubt.

"There's no need to revive me. I'm fine, I'm right here." Pulling him down I hug him close, his head on my chest and I try to spark my light to work to remove the blood from around us. It works, a blink of the eye making it disappear when I glance down and I tilt his head up to look at me. "Everything is alright." Kissing him gently, I feel him beginning to relax against me and he looks almost normal as I pull back. "Are you here, with me?" It's barely more than a whisper but he seems to have returned to his normal, nearly rational self as he nods, a sense of understanding radiating from him. "Rest then. I've got you. When you rise again, I'll still be with you." His eyes close slowly as he rests his head on my chest again, his face finally looking peaceful and I close my eyes for a minute in relief as I hold him.

Opening my eyes, I find myself once more standing alone in darkness. "No…" I mutter to myself, suddenly unsure of what is happening, but this place seems to have returned to normal. The black water moves as it should, cool against my feet but not frigid, the air free again as well and I walk forward to find whatever is waiting for me. I'm not prepared, however, when I step into snow in the blink of an eye. "Where am I?" I wonder aloud, looking in all directions as I'm in an ice blanketed pine forest. An eerie silence fills the area, not even the normal background noises of birds and small animals present. No wind blows through the branches, everything dead still with a plain gray sky stretching in all directions overhead.

My footsteps crunch loudly around me, the snow somehow not as cold as it should be, and I determine that I am still within Eric's mind somehow. Trekking a distance, I see a mountain rising in the distance, something calling me to get closer and I do so, the walk seeming to take hours, but I know it's really only minutes as time is skewed slightly. The base of the mountain is jagged and covered in dangerous crags, shards of rock littering the ground as it all seems to be unstable. Seeing something of a path far off to my left, I work my way over to it, climbing onto several flats until the path is clearer and I can walk up the steep incline. Around a bend I see a black hole in the rock ahead, the path disappearing towards it prompting me to step closer and venture into the dark tunnel.

The rock is solid as I keep my hands on both walls to my sides, the shape and size of the path never changing as it twists into the mountainside. After a long time, I stop to rest, looking back and knowing that I cannot see anything just the same as in front of me and I do not want to get turned around as I keep my body straight in the correct direction. Moving on again, I realize that the path is widening a while later as my hands must stretch further to reach either wall. It starts to slope downward, widening further until I'm about to lose touch of the walls and I stop as a loud rumble fills my ears.

I'm not sure what the sound is, fear icy through me as I wonder if it could be the mountain collapsing or something similar but decide against that as it fades away slowly.

"Hello?" My voice bounces around the walls, echoing out in front of me as well as behind. There's a distinct smell in the air, something I cannot quite place and I step forward only to hear more rumbling. Finally recognizing the sound as a growl, I stalk slowly, my hands outstretched so as not to run into a wall I can't see. I'm blind without any light, my own glow nothing more than a were light to my own eyes as it's swallowed into the darkness, no help at all.

Something moves around me, faster than I can see and I turn as it does so only to realize that I have turned myself around too many times to know the right way to go.


	9. Chapter 9

"Who is there?" My voice is low, knowing that they are close and should be able to hear me without a problem in the otherwise silent cavern.

I'm answered by a growl, this one right behind me and I don't move, realizing that I recognize the growl as I decidedly take a step backwards. His chest is against my back a second later, his growl distinct as he scents up the side of my neck and I know that this is his inner vampire. A click tells me that his fangs have dropped, and I lean further into him seeming to perplex him.

"I'm yours, remember?" He doesn't say anything however I can tell by the way that he kisses my skin a second later that he understands. "But someone is trying to take us apart."

His growl turns to a more intimidating note, but I don't react, knowing that I am not in any danger.

"They've incapacitated Godric and they've hurt me. Will you fight for us?" His snarl roars in my ear and I tilt my head to the side, his fangs buried into my flesh a second later as I close my eyes.

White noise fills my ears before I open my eyes again and I see Willow still standing next to Godric who is incapacitated. Unmoving, I feel as Eric licks over the marks he's left on my neck and slowly lowers me to the floor as he feels the pain of my injuries. Taking shallow breaths, I watch as he strides forward to the confident looking witch before she seems to realize, too late, that something is off. Her head is removed from her body with a twist before she can react, blood spattering the wall as her corpse falls over and he removes the silver from Godric in an instant before he's standing over me again. His mouth is hanging open as he pants, staring down at me with black eyes as he doesn't seem able to overcome his bloodlust at the moment, the triumph of killing his enemy too much of a rush. Pulling on him mentally, he growls lightly but in a nonthreatening way as he leans down, seeming to hesitate to touch me but doing so anyway to cradle me against his chest. Pain racks my body at any point that I move but I stay straight faced, doing my best to shield it from him in the bond as I don't want him to feel responsible for what's happened.

I'm distracted by the clang of metal, turning my head away from his chest enough to look down the hallway and it would appear that Godric went back into the room. Closing my eyes for a moment, I suddenly feel as though I don't want to open them, instead giving myself over to Eric's hold as I have no doubts that he can handle it. The next thing I know is the crackling sound of fire, my body feeling numb as my eyes flutter open and I see the burning building across the street from where we stand in an alley. "Eric?" He looks down at me instantly, his eyes still dilated but responsive as I give him a weak smile, a quiet growl bubbling in his chest.

"I decided to burn it. Don't worry, I'll ensure the owners are compensated. I could not risk anything capable of taking control of one as strong as Eric remaining behind for others to find." I hear Godric's voice from behind us and Eric turns enough so that I can see his maker standing several yards away. "He does not want me to get very near to you, so I have no doubt he'll keep you safe." He concedes with a grin, answering the unasked question on my face and looking from me to his child. "You should take her back to your nest." He says quietly, a serious look on his face before he's disappeared a second later.

Smiling up at Eric, he does not smile back but I can feel him holding the bond close. " _Will_ you take us home? I'd like to sleep and heal." We're in the sky a second later and I close my eyes, knowing that he'll get us there without interruption. "Still lip locked by the after effects?" I mutter questioningly, already knowing the answer but wanting confirmation as he slowly agrees silently. "That's okay, you _do_ have a way with words, but it is not mandatory."

I can feel his mild amusement, chuckling but regretting it as pain pulses through me and I sense that we're moving faster. The house comes into view as he lands a few minutes later, flawlessly taking us through the front door and down the stairs. His hands are surprisingly skilled at keeping me stationary and without unneeded pain as he redresses me into a soft pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. Laying me carefully onto the bed to change his own clothes, he returns in seconds and I am grateful as he pulls me closely against him.

"You could heal me now, if you wanted to." I suggest, his eyes telling me that I'm ridiculous to imply he wouldn't want to as I hear a click, his fangs sinking into his wrist a second later. My mouth seals over the skin as soon as he offers it, his blood sliding over my tongue deliciously before I swallow greedily. One of my hands finds the back of his head and I twist my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. He seems unsure, overly cautious as he doesn't want my healing to be hindered, but I trump that as he feels my want for him to do so. Our bond pulsates as he bites and pulls, his sip all it takes as the vampire bond instills itself fully, twisting to unite with the light of the fae bond. I can feel a sense of satisfaction flicker through him as every part of him understands what just happened, my back tingling pleasantly all the way down to my toes.

His skin heals beneath my lips a moment later and I kiss the spot, his tongue washing over my neck as well. "Don't go anywhere." I mutter tiredly, feeling sleep pulling me strongly under and he doesn't move as I drift off.

Opening my eyes slowly, sunlight fills my view and I squint, standing slowly to look around and I find myself on my own mental plane. The flowers of the meadow are brightly colored, filling every inch of the forest clearing and I steel myself as I prepare for a fight. I'm pleasantly surprised though when Claude appears from behind a tree, striding forward and taking my hands in his with a smile as he feels me welcoming him.

"Cousin, I am sorry for coming without your prior permission." He begins, and I wave away the apology, cutting him off.

"You know I don't mind or you wouldn't be here in the first place, and I know you wouldn't come without a good reason." Nodding he gets right down to business, as always, pulling a scroll from the air and handing it to me.

"How old is this?" I wonder, feeling the brittle paper on the worn wooden spool as I unroll it.

"Very, almost as old as your grandfather." There's a significance to what he has said, and I take it into consideration as I take in the words on the page, swallowing them like a lead weight.

A cold chill runs through me and my hands shake slightly as I get to the bottom, focusing intently on my breathing to keep calm as I roll it back up. I hesitate before handing it back to him and his expression is grave as he takes a slight step back. "I would never kill the messenger." I mutter, making him smile as I attempt to break the tension for him. "How did you find it?"

"Your grandfather told me he was looking for the oldest scrolls in the library and asked me to assemble them all. I don't think he expected me to read them all, but I take pride in my knowledge of the libraries holdings and I knew this had to be what he was looking for. I also knew that I needed to make you aware at the first opportunity, so I waited until you went to sleep and meditated myself here." My thoughts are jumping around at rapid fire pace, my nerves rattled but starting to settle as I look him in the eye a second later.

He's surprised when I step forward, wrapping him in a hug, but he returns the gesture without hesitation. "Thank you." Leaning back, he looks at me closely as though searching for something. "I don't know how Niall is involved in this, but if you feel it necessary at any time then you are welcome to take refuge in my home in Louisiana."

Something seems to occur to him and I can practically sense the wheels turning in his head, leaving him alone for a moment as I look on. "Yes…" He says it to himself quietly, staring at the ground as he comes to some conclusion. "I think I can come up with something for you, but I don't want to make any false promises or give any false hopes. I'll smuggle a small package to you in a few days, so keep an eye out. Stay safe until then, and notify me if you need anything I can provide."

"The same goes to you…" I trail off, looking behind him perplexed as I see a darkness creeping into my sight. It's almost like thick black smoke rolling over the land fluidly and creeping closer inch by inch. Claude steps back closer to me as he turns and sees it, the uncertainty clear on his face and I put a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Eric's in his day rest but he can sense that I was upset for a moment... it looks like he's coming to investigate subconsciously. You should go before he finds you. I'm not actually sure what damage he could do in this place, but I don't want to risk you."

"I understand, and I'll be in touch." He smiles, although giving a worrying glance to the darkness coming up behind me as he steps away and fades to disappear. Tendrils of black smoke come around my legs and feet, rising around me to swallow me whole. Floating in darkness a moment later I can feel him inspecting me sleepily as he is concerned for me despite being unconscious and I wash him in a sense of peace, lulling us both back to a deep rest.

I'm groggy when I wake, feeling mostly asleep as I shuffle out of the bed and go to the bathroom. The lights are on their dimmest setting, something I silently thank Eric for thinking of doing and I almost miss my mental plane where my body is unharmed. Seeing the shower as I go to leave the room, I decide instead to strip off the clothes Eric put me in before turning on the water. My entire torso is sore, too many hits taken to the same areas to be able to heal quickly afterward. Eric's blood took care of the most serious damage, but I know that I'm in for a period of recovery still, the water helping to relax my muscles as I lean on the wall for support. I suspect that the strikes from the werewolf fractured some of my lower ribs, both of my shoulders and my back also effected from the culmination of force I incurred. One of my legs throbs and while I can't remember when exactly I injured it, I make a note to get a seat installed in the shower soon.

Still in a haze of tiredness, I reach for the soap when I realize that I've just been standing still for a long time and work with it slowly. Nearly mindless, I'm about to set the bar down on its holder when I drop it, reflexively reaching to catch it and immediately tensing completely as my muscles protest, losing my balance in the maneuver. I'm caught by solid arms, relaxing happily against Eric's chest as he's behind me and he places a kiss to my neck as I remain standing, leaning into him. "You should have waited for me." He says into my ear and I turn, wrapping my arms around him.

"I am sore, and the thought of a hot shower was too appealing." I reason simply, resting my head against his chest as he chuckles until he moves slightly, taking me with him until I'm slightly out of the spray from above. I don't protest as I trust whatever he's doing, and I can feel him lathering shampoo into my scalp a second later even as I lean back to look up at him. "You don't have to do that." He doesn't stop as he leans in to kiss me gently, his hands working through my hair dreamily until he moves us again. Getting just the right angle so that I don't have to move to keep water from getting in my eyes he makes sure I'm completely rinsed off before disappearing for half a second to return with a towel and turn off the water simultaneously. It's softer than anything I own, and I give him a questioning feeling as he wraps me in it only to carefully pick me up bridal style a second later.

"I told Pam to deliver some boxes of things last night and brought them in as I heard the shower. I was coming to join you anyway when I felt you falling." Helping me dress in the closet, he then deposits me carefully onto the bed to sit up as he uses the towel to pat my hair dry. "Would you want me to call for Ludwig?" He questions, and I shake my head.

"No, you healed the worst of it. Like I said, I'm just sore." I assure him, appreciating his actions as he works the fabric with against my hair to remove as much water as possible before retrieving my brush. Not moving, I close my eyes as I enjoy the feeling of him moving it through my hair.

As he finishes, I pull him down and remove the brush from his hand, his body complying as he bends at the waist to allow me to brush his hair for him as well. His lips meet mine before I realize he's even moved as soon as I lower the brush, a smile evident as he pulls back. "None have done that for me in a long time."

"None have _ever_ done that for me." I mutter, not sure what else to say and he seems perplexed by the information.

"I had thought that fae were rather close knit with their family."

"Oh, I am." Setting the brush aside, I take both of his hands to twine our fingers together. "It's per fae customs, and because you bonded with me in the vampire fashion yesterday to solidify our bond permanently. My home is no longer in the Brigant castle, or this house, but wherever you are. You are my sanctuary, my possessor and my family. I will permit none but you to ever have me in a vulnerable position such as this and the bond will allow none to take me from you." One of his hands pulls free from mine, grasping the back of my skull carefully as he leans over me. His growl audible, vibrating through the air as he kisses me fiercely and takes my breath away in seconds as the intensity of his emotions crash through me.

Gasping against him, he doesn't relent, my free hand running over his chest until he pulls back to grin down at mine. "None will touch you but me." He feels the pang in my emotions, and he raises an eyebrow as he settles next to me on the bed.

"You have yet to meet him, but my cousin Claude is the next closest thing I have to close family. I think you'd like him, if you knew him for a while but I doubt he'll be very natural if he's around you as he doesn't trust vampires in general. He is the only one who can enter my mental plane, besides you, and it is mainly due to a unique special ability he has. With which, he can sense when I sleep and can visit me should I be receptive to him which I usually am. I trust him a great deal more than I do anyone else of the fae. While I slept, he informed me of a contract that Niall's father signed. It promises the first female Brigant to a vampire named Warlow, as soon as the female comes of age." The lines of his face are hard as he is tense, and I put reach out to caress his cheek, the feeling of him leaning into my palm a welcome one.

"No other vampire will take you." His words are simmering with an unspoken anger, the emotion hollow though as he knows that the one responsible for trying to sell me off has long been dead.

"I know, and I would not allow it. His copy of the contract should have alerted him to my existence in some way, but I think I can fix that as well. I might not have much power in the fae realm, but I have enough that I can void the contract as my coming of age passed a long time ago. Doing so would break the link between myself and the other copy of the contract, theoretically making it impossible for him to find me." I'm still uncertain of the specifics as the wording of the contract is ancient even for the normally garbled fae writings from older generations but it should work.

"How do we do so?"

"I have a theory on that, but it can wait since I'm not worried about anyone turning up anytime soon." My stomach growls loudly, his eyes flicking down before coming back up to my face. "I'd like to get something to eat for now."

We're in the kitchen in seconds, my legs dangling over the side of one of the chairs as I watch him going through the cabinets. He's standing over me a second later, his face leering down at mine. "What would my mate have to eat?"

"What do you know how to make?" I counter, his mind racing for a second as he seems to consider his options.

"Many things, however we have no fresh meats or produce." Pursing my lips, I think for a second and reach for him to pick me up as he'd rather I not walk.

"We could go to the grocery store?" I question, his face souring at the thought of having me out of the house. "Or just you." I shrug with a smile, knowing he won't be gone long.


	10. Chapter 10

"What is that?" Eric asks, coming up the stairs as the sun has just set. He motions to the stack of books in front of me and I grin, handing him the top one.

"I just got around to going through my shelves. These will likely interest Godric, if you would like to invite him here or we could go to him? I believe these are considered rare to vampires and I would like to give him a gift for helping to retrieve you."

"Lover, these…" He glances over, seeing the next one in the pile and grabs it as he browses through the rest. "I only know of a few copies of each of these, all of those copies either in museums or in unknown hands as they're usually purchased through shell companies whenever they pop up in the market. Would you be able to get copies for my maker to keep?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. Claude makes all my books, and he originally authored all of those ones anyway."

His eyes pierce into mine at his amazement, setting the book down carefully before turning to browse the bookshelf closely. "This is incredible, your cousin must be quite old as all of the copies in the human world are nearly as old as the Egyptians."

Shrugging, I pick up one I had been reading and he comes to peer over my shoulder. "I'm not sure of his exact age, but time does move differently between here and there, so it could very well be that the existing copies are some he created and lost. This one goes over the uses of various hardly known herbs and natural substances, although many of them are impossible to get nowadays due to human interference. I could package them up and we could visit Godric, if you want? I'm not very sore anymore and you haven't wanted me to go anywhere, so let's get out and go to Texas for a few days. Can Pam handle things for you?" He pulls out his cell phone, a smile on his face as I go through a stack of boxes I'd saved in a closet in case I'd need them.

I'm considering which one to pick when I have a better idea, instead popping into the closet to get dressed. Eric appears next to me as I come back up the stairs, curious as I smile and gesture for him to follow me.

"There are multiple types of fae, as you're aware, and as a Brigant I am a sky fae. But I've spent a lot of time with other types and the Woodland fae taught me many useful things, one of which is how to sing to the trees." He is interested, watching closely as we walk through the trees getting further from our house. "I would like to find a willow tree, any ideas?" I ask, grinning as he picks me up before we're in the air. His head moves above mine, scanning from one side to the other until he stops and we're speeding through the sky a second later. A willow is visible a moment later, a break in the foliage below highlighting the tree on one side as a wide creek cuts through the land.

"Why does it have to be a willow tree?" His inquiry satisfies me as I was sure he wouldn't be short on questions as I step free of his hold.

"The woodland fae are not actually sure why, but these are abundant in our land and the easiest to sing to. Sometimes, if one has been used enough times, it can even start to sing back as our magic will leave traces within it over time. This tree will likely begin to grow much stronger in the future after this." Laying my hands on the bark, he hovers behind me providing a sense of safety as I bring my light to the surface, my spark itself coming free and leaving me feeling cold as it sinks into the wood. Vibrating energy fills the air, a hum of power in our ears as I convey my wishes in a wordless song of light. It dances through the tree from the branches to the roots until a knot forms beneath my hands and growls outward, my palms being spread apart on either side as it grows. "What I am making for Godric will be cherished by any vampire who owns it." I mutter nearly silently, knowing Eric will hear me.

He watches in silent amazement as an ornate wooden box grows beneath my hands, the wood pouring forth from the source as vines and leaves swirl their own patterns into the surface. The lid separates when it's nearly done, perfectly carved and nearly invisible notches holding it in place but making the box appear solid as though there is no lid at all. It's the perfect size to hold the books, a large depiction of a willow tree on the top and I leave the tiniest hint of power within the tree as thanks for its offering. My spark returns through my palms and everything around me goes quiet as it detaches from the base of the tree, pulling free seamlessly as I take a step back. "What does it do?" There's no hiding the wonderment in his voice as he looks at the box and I have him hold it, sliding the lid up and off so that he can see the empty inside.

"I spent years training to master this technique and can make almost any shape or container, as well as imbue them with inherent abilities which do not rely on outside magics. This is the perfect shape to hold the books, which I guess are priceless, but it also has another feature." Sliding the lid back into place, I turn it sideways for him to view it and pull open a hidden side compartment. "This has the same principles as my bag, which will allow anything placed within to stay suspended there in time and space. I can't in good conscious make this too large, since it's a powerful thing, but it's large enough that he could place his small valuables or anything no larger than a fist. It's not infinite, but it's shaped so that he should be able to reach nearly his whole arm inside to store lots of small things if he wants. The inside of the box will also suspend whatever is in there in space, so you can turn it all over and the books won't fall around. I had not realized that your maker hadn't released you, so technically I should have gone to him before approaching you, but I intend to make it up with this gift."

"This will do more than that. The books alone are priceless, but this is on another level entirely. I know you are quite intelligent, but I must be sure that you are aware that none should know you can craft these sorts of things apart from myself and Godric. It is not safe for this to become public knowledge."

"Oh, I know, and it flatters me that you worry, but I wouldn't share this sort of thing with anyone else. Even fae are secretive amongst each other with things like this. Do you think Godric will like it?" I wonder, looking over the surface as I try to find any flaws even though I doubt there are any.

"Very much so, and he would likely try to pay you something for it in any other circumstance." Taking the box back, I wait as he picks me up and were flying back to the front porch in an instant, going about planning out a trip as I place the books neatly into the box.

A duffle bag appears in his hands when he comes up from our bedroom a minute later, large enough to hold the box and anything else we might need. I place it inside and end up packing a few articles of clothing around it, a second smaller bag holding a few things from Eric's part of the closet.

Putting everything into the car, Eric drives us at twice the speed limit, getting us to Fangtasia in record time. The humans are toxic as soon as we enter, many of them mentally blaming me for the fact that Eric has been missing, many of them feeling entitled to his presence. Normally I would ignore their behavior as it is common amongst the bar patrons, but I find myself bristling as I mute them all instead of filtering through them like normal. "Sookie?" Eric asks, breaking through my reverie and I refocus on him as we are walking past the bar.

His office hasn't changed, and he gives me a questioning look as soon as he closes the door behind us. "Many of the humans feel as though they own your time. They don't like that I've taken you away so much." Cocking an eyebrow, he stares at me incredulously before a broad grin spreads over his face and he is lifting my chin to kiss me a second later.

"Do not be jealous, lover." Scoffing at his words, he chuckles as he turns to type into his computer for a moment. I'm standing next to him, leaning against his chair until he pulls me into his lap and I wonder why until Pam opens the door a second later.

"Well hello stranger, and here I thought _you'd_ kidnapped him this time."

"Pam, I will be taking a vacation with my bonded to visit Godric. You are in charge while I am gone." I feel almost bad, knowing that she is not used to her maker taking off on her so suddenly, but I also know that at her age she should be perfectly independent. Eric had also told me enough about her to know the way to the girl's heart and I produce a small box from my pocket, something I'd gotten at the same time as Eric's necklace.

"I do apologize for whisking your maker away, but I can guarantee that he is happy in my care. This is for you, a show of good faith that I don't intend to ever cut you off from him. Even if he blocks you, just wish it so and this will lead you to him no matter where he is. It will only work for you." He'd approved of the gift, having noticed the small box before we left the house and asked about it.

It's only a second before she takes it with a deadpan expression, but grins as she pulls the pendant free from the package, a large red gem shimmering as it dangles from it's delicate platinum chain. "A large ruby? I do love red." She smirks, and I laugh slightly, making her look at me with a frown.

"A red diamond actually, that's why it catches the light so well. It's rather rare from what I hear."

"Well mistress, it would seem that my master has indeed chosen well." It's around her neck a second later and she gives Eric a quick rundown of business maters after thanking me, taking her leave as he returns to his computer.

"I'm almost done." He assures me, and I don't mind the waiting as I occupy myself with his phone, his printer working to finish something a moment later and he hands it to me. "This is the confirmation of your registration as Sookie Northman."

"Do you want to frame it?" I ask, noticing that my old name is nowhere to be seen.

"While it is quite the battle trophy for me, I doubt that this is one I would be hanging it in my bar. Perhaps in our home when we return." It's strange to hear him say that but I enjoy it, an uplifting sensation tingling through me as he does.

His smirk tells me that he feels it as well, his attention to the bond seeming a permanent fixture in our relationship and I kiss him again before we leave.

The journey to Texas is not a long one, his foot on the gas making it much shorter than it should be, but I don't worry. His hands move over the controls of the vehicle flawlessly, every turn and movement precise even when he holds my hand in one of his. The city comes into view in the distance, bright lights making it clearly visible in the darkness ahead and he takes us into a busy section of downtown. "Our hotel is a security oriented vampire hotel, so we'll be in the safest place in the city, but we'll probably come and go by flying from the balcony. There's no need to announce our coming and going with the lobby entrance except to check in."

"I could also teleport us around, I've been here before to get Godric." Nodding, he feels my emotions out as I try to stifle my amusement with my own thoughts.

"What are you considering?" He finally asks as he navigates the streets and I can't help myself.

"When I was here before, I sort of outed myself to Godric's nest in my haste to return to Louisiana by teleporting us in front of them all. I also stunned one of them when he tried to stop me from reaching Godric, so that would likely raise a few questions. I assume however that those living within his nest are trustworthy by his standards, thus I was not too worried. In fae custom, we would take our best special occasion outfit on the 'officially paying tribute' trip during courtship, where you would normally give a gift such as the one I am about to. My bag contains my robes, should you wish for me to fully awe his followers. Your maker is quite old if I'm not mistaken, so I would hate to seem unworthy of his child." There's a moment of contemplation as he considers everything I said, and I try to push the image to him of myself in my outfit as I remember seeing it in a mirror.

The car swerves for a split second before he rights it and stares at me as we pull into a line for valet parking. "How did you do that?"

"I focused on what I wanted to see and wished for you to see it to, sort of pushing it towards you the same as I would my emotions. You should be able to do the same thing, with a little practice." Nodding, he stiffens and turns to his door as someone taps his window, opening the door and trunk at the same time. Our bags are placed carefully onto a cart by a young vampire who keeps his eyes down and I remember that he can likely sense Eric's age over his own.

My scent is fully shielded, Eric likely the only thing anyone can smell on me and I am close to his side as he has an arm around me. He hands his keys off to the valet as soon as everything is out of the car, black glass doors sliding silently out of our way to enter. He matches my stride as we cross a large open room to go up to the front desk, the eyes of the vampire behind it only on Eric and he hands him a keycard without a word being spoken. The elevator is matte black all over, the doors sliding shut as we are alone inside, and it doesn't move until he swipes his keycard through a slot next to a panel of numbered buttons. "Did you know the vampire at the desk?"

"No, but Godric owns these hotels so they are all shown my picture. He doesn't accept anything but the best from the employees, so say something if anything seems off about anyone. The day crew is of course human, but the upper floors are sealed off from the bottom floor during the day. My keycard is special though, so if you had to leave and wanted to use the elevator you could." We're at the third floor from the top when the doors slide open, Eric pulling the luggage cart from behind us himself as he'd dismissed the vampire bellboy.

Our room is at the end, the door thick and heavy feeling as I open it for us. The inside is lavish, the room patterned with warm colors all over, a small stainless-steel covered kitchen area is in one corner and a thick wall of curtains covers the opposite wall. Looking between the swaths of cloth, I see that it slides open to be able to view out over the city which is full of lights at night. He disappears into the bedroom only to reappear a moment later with the ornate box for Godric, sitting it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Stay here." I ask, and he looks intrigued but nods as I dash into the bedroom. It has a large attached bathroom and I stand before a floor length mirror as I pop my bag into place next to me. Stripping down, I keep my underclothes on before pulling the white pants and tunic on. A white silk cape comes out next, my hand running over the gold crest to change it to my new one so that the Brigant one no longer shows. Fastening it in place, it flows around me as the fabric almost seems to glow, a matching white and gold trimmed mantle going over it and my shoulders. It leaves me with a wide range of mobility which is appreciated as I pull my sword free from the bag, fastening it in place on my waist with only the handle and hilt visibly sticking from beneath my clothes. My hair goes up into a traditional braid quickly, my appearance quite striking as I view the results in the mirror which is appropriate as it's an outfit meant to show off the wearer, even in battle.

Eric seems struck still when I appear before him with a pop, my hand resting on the pommel of my sword and his eyes burning into mine before he's suddenly kissing me. "You look quite dangerous, but at the same time you look to be a goddess of war."

Grinning, I return his affection and kiss him back, my arms wrapping around him until he pulls back, and I feel him removing the sword from the sheath at my waist. It's blade flashes in the light and he examines it closely as I grin as his childlike wonder. "You'll likely not find better craftsmanship on earth."

"I would agree… it is perfect. But do you know how to use it?" He questions, and I raise an eyebrow just like he often does. Stepping around him fluidly, he looks unashamedly smitten as I caress his cheek.

"Sky fae are known for their speed, the wind is at our backs in a battle and this outfit assists me. It is blessed by my ancestor's magic, the threads woven by my own hands while in trance when I came of age. It will repair itself if it is damaged in combat and it will also dampen the pain I feel if I'm struck while wearing it, making it possible to keep fighting beyond my normal limits." Dancing around him I level him with a fighting gaze, my sword pulled from his hands before he seems to comprehend what I've done, and I smile innocently as the point rests against his chest in an instant. "My sword will also harm any but you who would try to take it from its sheath as it was forged by my own light."


	11. Chapter 11

"I was right, quite dangerous indeed. I see why fae made such formidable enemies once upon a time." Grinning, I lean in and give him a light peck on the lips, my sword gone in a flash as it's sheathed.

"Never dangerous to you though, my bonded." He grips me around the waist, bowing me up against him as he kisses me with a growl.

"We should likely go before I get carried away, this outfit is a tease all of its own. You look like a princess." His voice is heated, and I turn away from him to retrieve my shoes.

"How many princesses have you had in your time?" I question, pulling white slip on shoes over my feet that cling perfectly without falling off.

"A few, but none of your stature." Picking up the box for Godric, I hold it up by the bottom before looking at Eric.

"Good, I strive to be the best you'll ever have." He laughs heartily, putting his hand to my shoulder as he grins down at me.

My pop is subtle but the clicks that follow it are not, the vampires eyeing me in wonder as we stand in Godric's nest. He is sitting across from us, looking stunned but not unhappy at our appearance, his features smoothing as he stands to greet us.

"Godric." I address him in a power laced tone of voice and he eyes me over as he takes in my garb. "I am here to offer this gift, as I was unable to do so before taking your child as mine. The box is special, but something that I would rather explain to you in private."

Bowing slightly, I hold it out and he glances to Eric who is staring seriously over my shoulder. Taking the box a second later, he returns the bow and we both straighten at the same time. "I accept. My child seems quite content, which is more than I can usually say of his temperament."

The eyes of the vampires don't leave us as he turns, leading us down the hallway and into what appears to be a small private library. "This place is soundproof." He assures as he closes the door behind us and I smile as I explain what the box can do. "It is a rather valuable gift; might I inquire as to where you acquired it?"

"I crafted it myself, as well as placed some books inside that I believe you will be interested in. It slides open." Showing him how to open it, he pulls them out one at a time, laying them carefully out on his desktop. "These copies came from the original fae author, created recently so they're in pristine condition."

"I'm not really sure how to go about accepting such an invaluable collection." He finally says, having been silent for a short time and I wave it off, Eric's arms coming around me from behind. There's something about the way he watches us move that makes me unwilling to speak, not wanting to interrupt whatever train of thought he's on. "You have softened my child more than I have ever managed to. His mental state in recent time has been calmer than I've ever felt, something that I had hoped to achieve myself but was unable. At the same time though, you've made him a more dangerous adversary to any who would oppose him." His eyes lift from my face to his child's and he continues, only letting a second of silence slip in. "I had long feared that should you find a creature to bond with, you would become more vulnerable. But after spending a bit of time alone with your Sookie, I have reconsidered, and with her grand entrance tonight I doubt that any would think of her as weak. You do not require it, but you of course have my full blessing if it is of importance to you. I will also be having some paperwork quietly slipped into the Authorities files, on which I will have claimed you both as under my protection. Should any political issues come up, just let me know and you will have me fully at your back." Eric seems pleased by what his maker said and I'm grateful, knowing that he had been slightly uncertain of what this night would bring.

"I thank you, and if you have any fairy problems, just let me know." I say, only half joking and it seems he knows something as the corner of his mouth twitches upward.

"Of course, I'm sure the royal princess of the fairies could come quite in handy as an ally." My smile falters for a second as I don't say anything, feeling Eric tense slightly around me. "Child, did you not know what you possessed?" He asks, a wry glint visible in his eye before I turn slightly towards Eric.

"I meant to tell you sooner, but it kept slipping my mind and it wasn't ever the right moment when it _did_ occur to me. I was going to present you with your own sword soon, since it's customary for my bonded to carry one as a newly bonded prince. Rest assured though, I do not intend to take the throne should Niall want to hand it over. One of my cousins can do that."

"How?" He asks, his eyes piercing into mine as I turn to look up at him.

"A civil war tore apart our people, it ended about a hundred years ago but started before I was even born. Niall's followers rose up as the superior ones, Mab and her people being nearly eradicated with the last of them having gone into hiding long ago and slowly being picked off over the years. The Brigant family has always been notable as one of the top fae powers and have been the ruling ones since then, but I didn't know that information had spread to the vampires. Ideally, it would never affect our lives apart from maybe some parties." There's a strange feeling in Eric's mind as he feels strangely predatory, standing over me unmoving.

"You are unbelievable." His hand secures the back of my head as he kisses me fiercely, a low rumble in his chest.

" _You_ are unbelievable." I whisper against his lips, smiling against him as I hear Godric putting the books away and I look over as he secures the lid in place on his box. "I had wondered, did you find out anything about what Willow truly wanted, before the building was burnt?"

"Not yet. I removed any papers I found and brought them back here with me, but nothing seems relevant so far. It's all just nonsensical lists of ingredients for the most part." He pulls a cardboard box from a corner, the parchments inside yellowed and seeming flaky. Picking it up, I start to glance over the pages as Eric is asking about developments in their political world.

"I do not need any new problems." He mutters, glad to hear as Godric tells him everything seems to be calm. He's about to say something else to Godric, but turns to me instead as the color drains from my face. A coldness creeps into my stomach and his hand is on my shoulder as I regain my composure.

"Memorize these, and then burn them." I request quietly, handing the papers to Eric as I assume Godric has already memorized them all and he only takes a few moments to flip through them before turning on the fireplace. The pages turn to ash quickly, the paper old and thin. "Did anyone else see those?" I ask, turning to Godric.

"No, nobody knows what happened while I was in Louisiana except for the three of us." Silence fills the air as I think, wondering what I should do next and I start to formulate a plan until I realize that both vampires are patiently staring at me. "Those lists are the ingredients and directions which when put into the right order, are what is needed to make a rudimentary portal to the fairy plane. It would take a lot of all the ingredients to create a portal that works well, but it's possible as long as…" I trail off, nobody interrupting as I'm sure Eric feels my thoughts coming together, the pieces beginning to fall into place.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but vampires magic and strength is derived from the blood within you. All you would need to make a portal besides the listed ingredients would be a large energy source. It's a recipe once devised and intended for fairies who got stranded and they would use their light to activate it, but theoretically you could use anything with enough energy and your blood _is_ energy." Eric is fully focused on me as I put my arms around his sides, saying the last part with my face pressed into his chest. "Willow wanted to get to the fairy plane for something, and she was going to mix your blood with the spell to create a portal. It would have likely required _all_ your blood. She probably wanted to try to find a fairy first, since she couldn't get to you and perhaps thought that finding a fairy would be easier than restraining you after her seduction failed. That is why the werewolf was looking for a fairy, and she had to fall back on her original plan when that fell through. She probably had some wards that tipped her off when he got free and triggered something to kill him."

"I still want to know where she learned how to control vampires. That is quite a dangerous skill." Godric remarks and I agree as I turn, seeing him again as Eric pulls me to sit in his lap on the couch.

"It was some sort of witch magic, something I couldn't sense as I'm not a witch. Are there any other significant witches around Louisiana that you know of?" I ask, looking at Eric expectantly.

"No." Eric sounds resolved, but I feel the twitch in his emotions as he remembers something. "There are rumors though that the queen has a witch in her retinue, but that's only ever been a rumor. None of my spies have ever confirmed it."

"I'll see if I can find anything out, one of her children does owe me a favor for allowing him to live after killing a donor in my area half a decade ago. In the meantime, what are your plans?" He questions both of us, Eric quiet behind me as he feels that I'm not done, something else coming forming in my mind as more of the puzzle tries to complete itself.

"Eric, what if Warlow was using Willow? It's far fetched, but at the same time it's not when you consider everything. He would be likely to know that Louisiana is one of the points of connection to the fairy plane, making it easier to create a portal there than anywhere else in North America. He's also very old, so there's no doubt he could pour enough money into Willow to make her do whatever he wants. He could have even have helped her to figure out how to control older vampires. That would also explain where she got the know how to make a portal in the first place, since my ancestors took great care to destroy as many human documentations of it as possible. He could have just given her a copy he had, and since he's a vampire he wouldn't have to worry about forgetting it." His brow is furrowed, and I can feel that his fangs have dropped as he's agitated, his head tilted forward to lean into me as he is deep in thought.

"Who is Warlow?" Godric questions, triggering the snarl in Eric's chest to become audible for a second before he quiets and quickly explains who he is.

There's silence in the room for a moment as we are all deep in thought until Godric speak first. "Child, I believe that Sookie may be right."

"I know." He cuts in, not letting Godric continue as the malice is clear in his voice. "A vampire much older than I am would wish to take away my Sookie, and he seems to already be solidly on her trail." Thinking back, I believe this is one of the first times he's called me 'his' Sookie, and it puts a small smile on my face, his eyes piercing down into mine a second after he feels my response.

"Let's stay here for a while then, nobody knows we're here. I'm sure the local authorities wouldn't mind our presence." I smirk, glancing at his maker whose lip twitches upward for a moment.

"Child, stay here with your bonded as long as you wish." He tells Eric, seeming to settle the matter as Eric nods and reaches into his pocket. Pam answers his call and he's giving her directions on official matters that he needs to handle when she informs him that one of the newly hired pole dancers turned out to be a V addict. Growling, he paces as they talk about what to do and I look at Godric.

"Do you have such problems with V here?" I'd not paid much mind to the illegal drug trade trends in the different areas and he would be the ideal one to ask.

"There is the occasional drainer who is dealt with by Isabelle, my second in command, but Eric's business attracts that sort of thing. It's more prevalent around similar bars in this area." Scanning the humans in the building, I find a few that bother me and one in particular that I do not like at all.

"How do you vet your staff?" I ask, although I'm already piecing together the nest practices through different minds.

"Isabelle also usually handles that, but I see the application of every person she approves for hire before they are called in for a final interview. Do you see a problem here?"

"Surprisingly, yes, and I do believe it may be with Isabelle herself. Or rather, her human, Hugo." I add the last part, seeing him bristle at the notion that his second in command is an unwise choice. "He seems to be in the business of helping the fellowship of the sun capture vampires to torture, experiment on and ultimately destroy. Several of your safe houses are compromised, he has given them a _lot_ of security codes, and if you would like I can give you the identity of every vampire he's hand a hand in destroying."

"Pam, I have to go." Eric says deadpan, ending the call as Godric stares at me unmoving for a long moment.

"Those are serious allegations." I scoff, seeming to surprise him.

"I do not make allegations. I know facts because I am telepathic, so I know my facts straight from the source. The code for your safe house near the airport is 8894512, the code for your garage here is 766743211, the code to your safe is 40301 and the code to your bedroom is 23562134. Hugo loves to get into Isabelle's computer when she is not around to review any security updates you do. A girl named Amber that works during the day is conspiring with another girl named Whitney who works the night shift and they do the laundry together. They use it as a cover to skim spare money from the pockets of any humans who stay here. A man named Charley works during both day and night shift and is unaffiliated with them, but he has saved up a fair bit of money by stealing it from the vehicles of the cars he parks when he valets for your guests. I would suggest mentioning to your second in command that she should be more careful of the company she keeps." They're both staring at me, the tension palpable as Godric appears frozen.

"Eric, is she telling the truth." He demands, meeting the eye of his child behind me and I snap at Godric through the bond he has with Eric, seeming to surprise him that I could reach so far.

"I would have the maker of my bonded be as safe as possible, and someone who seems rather intelligent to accept good intel when it's offered for free." Moving with purpose, I grab a notepad on his desk and a pen, starting to write the names of all the ended vampires before handing it over to Godric. "Hugo directly caused the end of these vampires by providing the fellowship with everything they'd need to get into safehouses and intercept trucks moving vampires during the day. Usually he'd have them target vampires who were leaving the area anyway and wouldn't be noticed until they didn't show up for long enough at their destination."

"I apologize if I appeared mistrustful, but I have to ensure that my information is as clear as possible before making a move." He says, surprising Eric who I would imagine has only rarely seen his maker apologize to someone.

"I understand, but I would also have you to please believe me when I say that I want you safe. You are Eric's maker, and I would also consider you my friend, someone to be trusted and who I would hate to see perish. I would imagine that you would like to speak to Isabelle alone? From Hugo's memories, she regards you and treats you as she would her maker, and you subtly return the sentiment."

Nodding, he confirms what I've said, and I look up at Eric who seems to be quite happy. "You continue to surprise me. I might even be jealous of how nice you are to Godric in the future."

"Be jealous, it's cute, but keep in mind that you are the only one I would ever allow closer than a hug."

"Eric, you are to keep that treasure safe, and Sookie I appreciate the lending of your services to my area. Name a price and I would pay it, should you feel you want compensated for your efforts. If you would both excuse me, I would like to see to the partial restructuring of my nest, as well as an overhaul of the security of all my properties. I would assist you in any way you like with Warlow, but for tonight and likely tomorrow night I will be occupied."

"Try to have a good night, even it is about to be eventful." I smile empathically, taking Eric's hand as he wraps an arm around me and I pop us back to the hotel room.


	12. Chapter 12

Changing back to regular clothes as Eric goes to work on sending several emails to Pam full of instructions, I pull my shirt over my head as he paces a few feet away with his phone in his hands. "When we get back to Louisiana, I would like to have the liberty of purging your employ of anyone I don't like the mind of."

"Of course, I was already planning to ask you to do something to that affect. I have my hand in several businesses and would greatly enjoy the peace of mind of my employees being trustworthy and loyal." He kisses me a second later, suddenly in front of me and bowing me up against him. "You have my thanks for alerting my maker of the faults in his nest. Many would turn at the idea of being so direct with vampires of his age range, but you are quite fearless."

"Why would I fear Godric? He is a good maker who cares for you greatly and should he harm me I know if would only meaning harming himself as he would feel your pain. He does not want that, far from it, he wants you to be happy." I reason, a grin on his face as he wordlessly agrees, and I take his phone as he is done with it. "We should find a jewelry shop before we leave Texas, I would like to gift Godric a pendant like your own."

We find just what I'm looking for in a small shop on a quiet street, far from the rest of bustling city but still open despite the hour and I realize it is owned by vampires as we enter. Everything is perfectly crafted and custom, the salesman stoic but polite as he seems to want to just go back to crafting beauties from gold and platinum. Vampire crafted jewelry quickly dominated the market after they came out to the humans, their steady and strong hands making pieces that humans would find too delicate or difficult to create.

The pendant is black and gold, something about it speaking to me as I feel Godric will like the design and we're soon leaving with it and a platinum chain to carry it. Eric sits close to me in the hotel room as I show him how I enchant it, asking questions and going quiet as my light fills my palms, swallowing the pendant until everything darkens again. "There we go." I say more to myself than anyone else, carefully putting it into a box to be gifted to Godric.

"Wonderful, is it done?" He asks curiously, confirming that the process is finished, and I smile with a nod before I feel that he has an ulterior motive. "I would like to take you out to a few different places, but first, we'll be going back to the jewelry store."

Returning to the hotel several days later, his hand is carrying a large bundle of bags as he's insisted on pulling me into shops each night. I'd not directly asked for most of the items, but he picked things up almost as soon as I set them down if he sensed that I liked it enough. "You are unbelievable." I mutter as he arranges the bags with other ones from the nights before on a table in the corner of the room. "We better get a few things for Pam before we go back. She seems to be dealing with a lot while we're away."

"Yes, she gets petulant when I don't gift her enough shiny things. Perhaps a broach or a new pair of earrings would suffice." He stops when my stomach growls and I give a shy grin as he chuckles, taking his phone back as I am playing a game on it. "First though I would like to feed my fairy."

"Not a bad idea, if you intend for your fairy to be able to feed you as well." His salacious grin is knee knocking, my smile almost involuntary as I look up at him.

We're in the elevator soon, his hand hitting the button for the roof instead of the lobby and I give him a suspicious, questioning look as he appears smug. "Well, I would have to agree, you've outdone yourself." I mutter, staring out over the rooftop after we've stepped out of the elevator. A table for two is arranged in the center of a large garden, a waiter standing professionally off to the side with a menu in his hands and a cart of drinks next to him.

"I had assumed you would be hungry once we got back and ordered ahead when you were in a restroom." He explains, holding my chair out for me and I take it, the waiter handing me the menu after Eric beckons him over.

We still sit atop the roof a while later, my meal nearly finished as Eric asks me questions about fae culture.

I'm explaining the royal hierarchy when his phone rings, his mind distracted but holding onto the conversation as he answers the call. The person on the other end seems relentless though, questions about a real estate deal of his being fired off by a member of his legal team and Eric starts to pace as he often does when he's irritated. The city scape around us is distracting for me, the sprawling city something I'm not used to and I take a moment to myself to absorb the sight. Turning away from Eric, I look up at the only building higher than ours and am surprised when I see someone atop it. I'm even more surprised when I believe that I recognize the being, stepping back as his mental signature confirms my suspicions. Raising a hand, I wave up at him welcomingly, expecting him to return the gesture and perhaps join us but he remains motionless for a moment.

Freezing in place, I realize something is wrong as he manifests a bow of light between his fingers, his free hand running along it to create an arrow of light and he swiftly draws it back. "Eric-!" I turn to warn him and am stunned, unable to move when the arrow sinks into my chest, my vision leaving me.

I turn as soon as Sookie says my name, dropping my phone without a care when I see the bolt of light fly into her. Her body goes limp and I catch her before she falls, her eyes lifelessly staring up at me despite her heart still beating. Leaning over her protectively, I gaze up to see that whoever fired the shot of white is gone, my priority returning to my bonded.

The vampires move out of my way when I enter the nest, no one daring to touch me as I come around the corner into the living room and Godric rises from his seat. "What happened?" He demands, leading me back through the hallway and I don't speak until we're in his day chamber below the nest.

"Someone shot her with what looked like a beam of light, some sort of fairy weapon I think. She's not responding at all. I have no idea how they would have found us and I don't know how to get her back." My voice is strained as I prod her through the bond, her side devoid of anything but the sense that she is physically alive, and my inner vampire is unhappy. It feels like she's gone, despite being right in front of me and my mental fingers slip away from the void where her mind should be as though it's repelling me. Inside my own head a raging monster shakes the bars of his cage, wanting to rise and rage but at the same time protect our mate and I hold us back. Godric's hand is suddenly on my shoulder as he feels my struggle, steadying me.

"Calm yourself. Is there any way for you to heal her? Has she told you what to do if this sort of thing happened?" My mind races, every word she's ever spoken flashing through my mind in seconds and I glance down at her as I try to think of something.

"No, but..." I trail off, wondering if I could even manage it.

"What?" He presses when I'm silent and I breathe an unnecessary breath.

I explain as thoroughly as I can, his brow furrowing as he listens, and he is silent as I finish. "She said I could likely never make it to her mental plane, but I did once before, unconsciously."

"Then it sounds like you need to go to rest with your bonded as soon as the sun rises in an hour. Figure out how to reach her if she's hiding on the mental plane and see if she can tell you how to help. I will watch over you both." I bow my head in thanks, a gesture he understands as I am unable to convert into words how I am feeling. He keeps me reassured as the hour ticks away by asking me about her, each minute passing making me more anxious but my worries quelled as I speak on autopilot, divulging anything my maker wants to know.

I have her curled against my chest on the bed as soon as I feel the slightest hint of daytime, my mind going reluctantly into downtime, my body still as I wait for the sun to take me. There's no sound, not even Godric's presence noticeable as I find myself getting lost in the scent of the hair my nose is buried in. It's like a trance as I will myself to her, trying to reach her mentally in a way I've never done before and I'm shocked when I find myself in a meadow. A full moon rests in the sky above me, making visible the sleeping wild flowers and scattered trees in the immediate landscape.

A whiff of blood in the air catches my attention before anything else and I growl on instinct but stopping immediately when a strange shudder goes through the ground beneath my feet. Feeling the direction of the wind, I move towards the blood scent slowly, making my way into a thicket of trees that seems to expand endlessly into a large forest. My feet are soon following a path I've found worn through the brush, and I stop when I notice a smear of blood against a nearby tree trunk, my senses on high alert as I identify it as Sookie's. Strange ruins, pillars of stone and pieces of buildings are sunken into the ground around the trees and underbrush, my eyes not missing the angles of the manmade structures as they're illuminated by moonlight. The forest thickens quickly, the trunks going from several meters apart to only a few feet and the canopy overhead is dense enough to eliminate most of the light although it's not a problem for me.

I'm surprised my foot comes down onto the end of a cobblestone path that has appeared before me, twisting into the trees ahead and making me wonder what I've gotten myself into. The stones are old but well laid and still hold back the foliage from growing over, speaking to the skill of the original builder. I don't deviate, the trees crowding closer and baring down on the path I walk as the occasional root disrupts the flow of stones on the ground. It comes to a point where it's almost like walking down a hallway, the walls made of the trees grown so close together that I can barely make out spaces between them. The barks are merging in many places and the branches are hanging lower and lower as they come together from either side, but the path remains clear, my pace neither quickened or slowed as I progress.

While I remain cautious, I doubt that anything could really hurt me here, but I am wary enough to stop in my tracks when the path twists out of sight and I follow it to find myself in an enclosed clearing. It's only about ten feet wide, but the trees have formed a nearly solid circle to stop me from going anywhere but forward, where a stone archway appears to have been carved from the ground itself. The sky is visible as the canopy of the trees opens slightly in the center to allow me to see a few stars when I pass beneath, and I examine the faded swirling designs on the stone archway for a moment. It's as though the inside has been painted black, but I can tell that I could walk through it, hesitating momentarily until I confirm that the scent of blood is coming from within.

Sun beams strike me without pain as I step onto green grass making me freeze as I wait for the agony of it, but it never actually comes, and I glance around in wonder. I'm in another meadow, this one in a wide-open field that seems to go on forever at first, but I spot another forest in the distance and take a step towards it.

A small sound of air to my left gets my attention and I leap back as a soldier in gleaming armor swings a long sword through where I was standing an instant before. I do not know where it comes from, but I feel it in my hands and when he charges forward I am able to narrowly parry his blade with my own. The metals clash, ringing sounds of a sword fight filling the air as he continues to try and strike me down. My arms are soon shaking from the blows of the steel, something that I cannot recall happening since I was a fledgling, and I brace myself when he charges again. The sound of metal sliding on metal sings long and loud until we are hilt to hilt, our faces only inches apart and the bright green eyes inside the helm widen as they see me up close. I'm not sure what to expect when the soldier jumps back, but I'm surprised when they put the tip of their sword in the ground and fall to one knee in a sign of defeat.

Moving forward, I do not hesitate as I pull the helm off her head and I'm greeted with a vision of Sookie, but I do not move closer as it does not seem quite right. Her face looks younger, the hard lines that make her look fierce when she's riled up are softened, as though I'm seeing a young woman rather than an adult. "Who are you?"

"I am not the one you seek, if that is what you want to know. You'll have to keep looking for her… perhaps that way." She attempts to brush me off, flicking her hand deftly in the direction of the distant forest and I growl lightly.

"Are you _my_ Sookie?" I am not in the mood for her petulance, her eyes hardening as she stares up at me defiantly.

"No... at least… I'm not all of her. I am just one of the guards we created." She turns her head away, her voice softer than I thought it would be and I reach out to touch her. I'm unprepared when she smiles slightly and pulls away, falling backwards and disappearing a second later as her body turns to grass and flowers.

Blinking at where she was, I turn and glance around to make sure that no one else is lurking before moving off at vampire speed towards the trees. It takes a few minutes to get there, my feet faster as I head through the trees when I find a stronger smell of blood is ahead. Just like before I find a path, the trees descending to steer me in the right direction and I am greeted to another guard when I reach the next clearing. This one is shorter by almost a foot but just a ferocious as the last and once more a sword appears in my hand of its own volition.

I notice however that the guard's arms are the ones shaking first this time, and I manage to cast the sword from her hands before she falls to both knees in defeat. Her helmet comes off as she removes it with her own hands, a younger face than the last one greeting me. "How old are you?" I wonder aloud, and she smiles.

"I would be the human equivalent of about a twelve-year-old, and I think you're the first one to ask that. You're also the first one to get this far past big sister unscathed." She seems friendlier and more talkative than the other one and I smile back, trying to win her over.

"There have been others to come here?"

She nods but frowns. "Not for a long time though. Cousin Claude comes to visit sometimes, but we don't attack him, he's fun."

"Do you know who I am?" I question, wondering if her incarnates are knowledgeable about current events.

"No…" She reaches her hands into the grass and I wonder if she'll disappear like the other one, but she just stares up at me a second later. "But I know you're… important to us. Otherwise the trees would have misled you."

"What?" I'm not sure what else to say, looking around at the wood warily now.

"Oh yes, the trees love big sister and are very mischievous, they sometimes mislead cousin Claude down the wrong path just to play with him when he visits!" She giggles, the sound caressing my ears as it makes me almost laugh along with her uncontrollably and I wonder if it's an affect of her being a young fae.

"So then, you and the other guard, you are younger versions of my Sookie? The other one looked to be about twenty, and you're twelve, so where is the teenager?" Her face blanches and she hesitates, seeming unsure before she speaks, and I wait patiently.

"She's not very nice, so she stays hidden in the woods. If we didn't know who you were, and we thought you were a threat, she would have already taken care of you…" Her voice fades along with her image as she is gone into the ground and I find myself with more questions than answers, now wanting to know what happened during Sookie's teenage years.

The stone archway ahead is more refined than the last one, newer and with more distinct patters adorning every inch of it. On the other side I find myself in an apple orchard that goes on for miles in every direction, the trees planted in straight lines and fruits hanging from every branch. I hear a distant voice, small but soft as it seems to be singing and I race towards it only to stop dead in my tracks when I see the tiny figure standing ahead of me. Her back is turned, a bright yellow dress hanging from her small shoulders and I take another step forward as she turns to see me. The unintelligible song that was being sung stops, a small cry leaving her lips in surprise when she sees me, and she pops before I can react to stand only a few inches away. "You're here! You're here!" She crows happily, beaming up at me.


End file.
